We All Fall Down

by Isabel DeVore

the pod squad returns to Earth 15 years after they left and everyone expects the good times to roll. but when an unexpected tragedy befalls the group they must pull together to bring two members back to reality and to each other.

title: We All Fall Down
author: Isabel DeVore
disclaimer: don't own 'em. you've got nothin' on me!
category: let's here it for EVERYBODY!!! manly M-n-M! in POV angsty.
summery: AU - future fic. the pod squad returns to Earth 15 years after they left and everyone expects the good times to roll. but when an unexpected tragedy befalls the group they must pull together to help bring two of members back to reality and to each other.
rating: R ( L, V, )
p.s. I wrote this because I am currently suffering from writers block on the second and last part to my first fic 'The Far Off Dawn'. I hope you like this. this is the first of the Nursery Rhyme One-Shot series. as always I don't capitalize anything but proper nouns. it's just my style. also. yes I am well aware that Alex is deceased but I began this fic before that plot line was executed. thanx!
other: r&r please! Sodapop363@hotmail.com

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*** Desert ***

=Narrator=

the night air was cold and damp with the rain. thunder shook the ground as the lighting flashed across the sky. he looked up at the stars, even in the thunder storm they still shone brightly. and off in the distance he could see a bright star exploding and the ruminates falling into the cosmos, weeping for itself. [ foolish people. ] he thought to himself. [ fighting a useless war for a useless cause. all of those that died, died in vain. ] he grunted as the memories of the war flooded back to him.

" Michael? " Max's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and back to the physical plane.

" what? " he growled.

" it's time to go. we're all here now. let's go home...." Isabel spoke softly to the air, her hair whispping in the wind. Michael nodded in agreement and he and the others began the long walk back to the little town on the edge of nowhere.

*** Crashdown ***

=Liz=

" Maria! " I called out to the back of the diner to my friend. " Maria, could you grab that little gray book that I keep all the accounts in! "

" yeah babe! where is it?! "

I lifted my head from it's reading position and began to speak but didn't finish what I was going to say, because of what I saw before me." it's on th- " I stood frozen. [ it's...it's.. ]

" Liz, babe, what's wron- " Maria bounced through the back door and stopped dead in her tracks "-ng. " she finished, not believing her own eyes also.

My eyes went wide and I let out a hesitated laugh before I ran over and rapped my arms around HIM. " Max! oh my god! your back! oh Isabel! Tess! " I let go of Max and clung to the girls with such a force, even Tess. I had missed her too. we had gotten close before they left. " Michael! " I cried as I flung myself around Michael and Michael tentively gave me a hug back. he had always thought of me like his first friend. he told me this once. his first REAL friend," I've missed you guys so much! "

" we've missed you too. " Isabel said, now freely letting the tears flow.

I turned to face a still in shock Maria. " Maria they're home. "

Maria just shook her head as her eyes filled to the brim with tears, but refusing to spill them.

"how long?" Maria finally spoke. " how long will you be home?"

a bit thrown off by the question Michael answered. " incessantly. "

Maria smiled at last and ran to Michael as he engulfed her in an embrace. " I just can't believe it. " she laughed.

" believe it. " Tess smiled. " what happened to Kyle? and Alex? "

" there here. in Roswell. I'll call them tomorrow morning. " I reassured her, while I smiled up at Max. my Max. Max, here to stay.

***next day***

=Tess=

" Kyle! " I screamed as he entered the crashdown. I ran to him and gave him a big hug.

" hey. god I can't believe you guys are here..." he whispered into my ear.

" me neither. but here we are. here I am. " I smiled.

" Isabel!! " Alex beamed as he peeked his head in the door, still his goofy self.

" Alex!! get in here, you! " she taunted to him. motioning him to come in with her finger and a smile. she's missed him so.

" wow. I can't believe we're all here again. I mean, all of us together. it's so..... wow." Kyle breathed.

" it just seems like yesterday when we were sitting at this booth." Liz mused dreamily looking at Max.

" maybe to you! I don't think I really look like I'm 18 anymore. " Maria laughed. she was hiding something in that laugh. I didn't know what though. but we were all hiding something then.

" no. none of us look 18 anymore. but, wow, Maria you've changed." Max said. he spoke the truth. we really had changed, but Maria. she had changed the most.

" I guess that's what New York does to ya." Maria shrugged.

" New York!?!" Isabel and Michael almost choked at the comment.

" you live in New York? well what are you doing here?! " Max inquired.

" she comes every December. to visit. " Alex put his arm around Maria and squeezed, receiving a glare from a very jealous Michael.

" what? you thought I was going to wait here in Roswell for you guys to get back? I don't think so! " Maria teased in her best New Yorker accent. she did it very well, I thought.
then suddenly there was a huge crash from somewhere.

"what was that?! " I jumped nervously. I'm still a little jumpy. war will do that to you.

" it sounded like it came from up stairs. " Michael looked at the stair way leading up to the apartment that Liz called home. heavy foot steps could be heard coming down the stairs.

" Liz who's up there? " Max asked cautiously.

" ummm...." Liz stuttered. she was hiding something too.

" you JERK! " a female voice raged as a semi-tall boy came plummeting down the stair well to my surprise.

" ouch! what's your problem? " the dark haired boy yelled up the stairs.

" what's my problem?!?! what's MY problem?!?!" the voice screamed coming down the stairs into view. " I'll tell you what's my PROBLEM!! some JERK turned my hair green and purple!!!! THAT'S my PROBLEM!! " and sure enough her mid back hair was in green and purple streaks. Kyle and Alex hid their laughter. they knew what had happened. it must have been an everyday occurrence for them.

" it was an accident!! " he pleaded, backing away from the girl over toward our booth.

" oh! sure it was! " she said in a mocking tone. " yeah right! now come back here, Space Boy! you're SO dead!! " she growled and lunged for him as he moved, missing him. at that comment of 'SpaceBoy' Michael's head shot up. hearing his old nickname from Maria I guess.

" calm down you two! " Liz yelled. she obviously knew what was going on. when has she hadn't.

" yeah calm down Mickey Green! " the boy taunted.

" it's Mickey Blue you dumbass alien! " the girl named Mickey snapped.

" Mickey watch what you're saying! " Maria scolded. she knew also at the time.

" sorry. now come back here, SpaceBoy so I can rip out all of those alien insistences of yours!! " Mickey raged, again lunging for him and this time catching him. Mickey began to throw punches at the boy before Kyle went over and pulled her off the other kid.

" stop it you two! right now! " Kyle bellowed. both children stopped dead when they heard him. " now sit." Kyle commanded, and they obeyed. " what happened?"

" isn't it obvious?! he turned my hair purple and green!!! make him pay!!! " Mickey whined with anger.

" it was an accident!! she said she wanted green streaks in her hair-" he began but was cut off by Mickey.

" yeah, GREEN STREAKS!! not green and PURPLE streaks! " she said as she pounded her fists on the table " fix it! fix it! fix it! "

" fix it yourself! " he retorted and crossed his arms in front of him.

" you know damn well I can't! so use your little Bewitched thing and fix it! " she said crossing her arms, also in a huff.

" fix it. " Liz said sternly to the boy. all very motherly.

" fine! " the boy rolled his eyes and grunted as he waved his hand over Mickey's hair making it light brown again with green streaks, making me gasp in surprise. [ is he one of us? ] I thought as he made another remark " Mickey Green. "

" it's Mickey Blue you dumb-" Mickey stopped and looked around her for a moment. " who the hell are you? " she asked pointing to Isabel, me, Max , and Michael.

" we could say the same about you. " I said.

" Tess! " Isabel said, annoyed with how my tone came across. " I'm Isabel, this is my brother Max, this is Tess, and that's Michael. " she introduced.

" that still doesn't explain who you are. " the boy concluded sarcastically.

" well who are you and how did you just change her hair color?" Max asked raising an eyebrow.

" that's Mickey Blue, or as I like to call her Mickey Green.-"

" Blue. " Mickey quickly interrupted.

" as I was saying. Green. she's Mickey and I'm Maxwell Evans. everyone calls me Max. and what do you mean change her hair? I did no such thing. " the boy said realizing his mistake.

and at his name everyone's head shot up. I looked over to Max and saw a jumble of emotions on his face and then looked over at Liz and saw the same.

[ oh my god! I just thought I was seeing things. I noticed how much he looked and sounded like Max but I didn't put it together! it all makes since now! ] I thought.

" umm...guys could you umm... go away for a bit?" Liz asked us quietly.

" sure mom. " Max said. well the littler Max anyway.

" not you Max. them. " Liz corrected, getting a little confused herself. Alex, Isabel, Kyle, me, and Michael got up and headed out toward the door.

" aren't you coming? " Michael asked Maria.

" umm...yeah...come on Mickey...."

" alrighty. comin' " the girl shrugged and ran out the door.

*** Crashdown***

=Max=

" Liz... " I said as I reached out for her hand but was instantly knocked away by a more hostile force.

" don't touch my mom. " the boy sneered. he was so obviously confused by everything.

" Max..don't talk like that to your. your dad. " Liz said it all so quickly I could barely comprehend everything she had just said. ' your dad ' her words bounced off the walls of my mind and ran into each other causing an explosion of questions. questions I already knew the answers to.

" my..my dad? I...I thought he..left." the boy, my son, managed to stammer out.

" he did. and now he's back."

" well how do I know he won't just take off and leave me, us, again?! " he said with hurt from the past in his voice.

" I didn't leave you. any of you. I had to go. but I'm back. " I assured him " and I'm here...to stay."

"Promise? " he asked like a tiny child instead of the teenager he was.

" yes, I promise. "

***in front of the UFO center***

=Isabel=

" wow, I still can't believe that your here! " Alex said for the billionth time that night.

"I know..." I began. [ I have to tell him. I can't. what do I mean 'I can't.' he deserves to know. she deserves to know! how am I going to do this?...] I thought, my mind racing.

" Isabel? you okay? " he asked so sweetly, I thought I was going to melt.

" uh..yeah. um...Alex, come with me, I want you to meet some one... " I managed to stammer out. I was a chicken. I admit it. well, I couldn't just go ' Alex I have a child. oh! by the way she's yours too. ' could I?

after some extensive running through the rain, we finally made it to the hotel we were staying at. I slowly lead Alex to my room and slid the keycard through the door....

***in front of the bus station***

=Kyle=

" Kyle? " Tess said my name oh so quietly.

" yeah? "

" so...what have you been up to for the past " she stopped to add up the years. " 15 years? "

" well, I went to collage and played ball there. then I played pro ball. but I hurt my knee and couldn't play anymore so I came back home. " I told her.

" oh. so you...never got married? settled down? " she asked me, her voice wavering.

" nope. " I grinned. " never found anyone on this planet who was special enough. "
I noticed her dropping her head down to look at the floor. " hey.. " I lifted her chin. " I said 'this planet' " and with that her eyes got wide and she smiled up at me with her beautiful smile. and I pulled her into a big hug.

" Kyle? " she said meekly.

" hum? "

" how do feel about kids? " she asked me shyly.

" I love them. why? "

" oh, um...well.." she stammered and took me by the hand and began taking me somewhere I knew not.

***in front of the Crashdown***

=Michael=

" hey I'm gonna go out, okay? " Mickey yelled as we came out of the Crashdown on Liz's request.

" where are you going? " Maria questioned the girl, putting her hands on her hips like she's always done while interrogating some one.

" just out. I won't cause too much trouble! bye! " Mickey blurted out and ran in the other direction, leaving me with Maria who was shaking her head.

" what is she up to now? "Maria spoke to no one unparticular.

" who is she? " I asked, fearing her answer. I couldn't help notice how much she looked like Maria. short, thin, green eyes, and full lips. her hair was strait and light brown, now with little green streaks in it, but she acted just like Maria had when she was young. the SpaceBoy comment and all. I knew she must be Maria's child, but I knew she wasn't mine. she wasn't alien. from the way she acted when the boy made her hair green and purple and said how he knew she couldn't change it, I had guessed she was not alien. so she couldn't be mine. but that didn't make me stop wishing she was. oh how I wished Mickey was my child. mine and Maria's....

" she's Mickey. " Maria stated. " or as she's called in New York, Mickey Blue. "

" she's your daughter? " I cringed at the words I spoke. why did I have to ask?

" yes. " Maria closed her eyes. " she's my lil' Mickey Blue. "

we continued walking down the road and eventually reached Maria and her mom's old house.

" what happened to your mom? " I asked changing the subject.

" I'm not sure. I left Roswell right after graduation and only come here at Christmas. they say that after I left she packed up and left with out saying a single goodbye. " Maria said as she looked up at the place that was once her home. that's when I really noticed how much she had changed. she was no longer the energetic pixie. now she was something else. her make up was darker and heavier than it used to be and she didn't ware the glitter on her anymore. it had seemed like New York had made her grow up so to speak. she wasn't the Maria DeLuca I had known, but in some little ways she still was.

***Isabel's hotel room***

=Atara=

when the door of my mother's and my hotel room opened I jumped up off the bed and stood at full attention. I guess the way my life had been back home was still fresh in my blood. I quickly waved a hand over my face finishing my make-up and another over my hair as to 'brush' it. my mother slowly stepped inside and smiled at me. I smiled back and was about to speak when another body entered the room.

" who's that? " I asked my mother. he seemed so familiar to me but not at the same time. he had black hair that looked a lot like mine, mine being long like my mother's, and had the most beautiful light blue eyes. oh how I wished I had his eyes. they are much nicer than my deep chocolate brown ones.

"Atara.... I'd like you to meet some one. " she motioned to the man beside her. " honey,..." I knew something was up. she only calls me 'honey' when something is wrong or she's nervous about telling me something. I had gathered it was the latter. " honey,... this is Alex...your dad. "

" my WHAT?!?! " I screamed, not believing my ears. all my life I had been told that my father was a human and lived on Earth and that one day I would get to meet him. but in all my short life I never thought it to be true. well the meeting him part anyway. I did have to recognize the fact that I was half human when I was younger and had trouble with other kids saying how I should be.

" oh god..." I heard the man, Alex, my dad, breath. I don't think my mom ever told him about me. he looked as shocked as I was. " um... hi there...Atara .." he said.

" hi. " I nodded my head and shook his hand. " nice to meet ya. "

***Tess's hotel room***

=Adam=

I heard the soft footsteps of my mother and somebody's heavy one's following behind her. usually I would be scared for my mother if some one was behind her, but not here. not on Earth. my mother told me that aliens haven't been on Earth in years and that when we got there we would be the only aliens there. and from then on the only aliens that would come to Earth would be refugees from the V constellation.

the door began to open and my mother stepped through with a smile on her face, her aqua eyes dancing. " Adam? " she called for me.

" Adam? who's Adam? " a masculine voice asked.

" shush! Kyle! " my mother put her fingers to her lips, as I came out into view " Adam is my-our son..." I froze.

" our WHAT?! " " your WHAT?! " we screamed at the same time.

" oh! " my mother jumped. " Adam! umm...well...cat's outta the bag now! " she smiled. I ran a hand through my shaggy blonde hair. [ my dad. I'm meeting MY dad. ] my mind wondered until my mother's voice snapped me back to reality.

" Adam? are you okay? " she put her hand to my forehead and I backed away pushing it down.

" yeah I'm fine." I said shakily.

" hey it's going to be o.k.... we'll take this thing slow..." Kyle said to me. " hi. I'm Kyle. " he extended his hand and I took it.

" Adam. "

***Crashdown***

=Maxwell=

it was strange. sitting there in the Crashdown, the place I grew-up in. the place I grew-up in with my mom. only my mom. Uncle Alex and Uncle Kyle would come in a lot. and Aunt Maria visits every December. and every December she brings Mickey. but this was so different. the person that was sitting right across from me was not my Uncle Alex or Kyle, or my Aunt Maria. the person wasn't even the annoying Mickey Green. the person was my dad. my dad. that just sounded so strange coming from my mouth. how can he just go from never knowing I existed to wanting to be apart of my life. I just don't understand. but I guess I couldn't if I wanted to.

" so your the reason I'm so different? " I asked.

" yeah, I guess I am. " he smiled at me. how could he smile at me like that. didn't he know how much danger he put me in everyday because of that?

" then I've got some questions..." I looked over to my mom. she was crying just a little bit. I guess seeing her son with his father made her happy. and if it made her happy, then I guess I'd be happy too.

***Next Day, Crashdown***

=Alex=

yesterday was one of the most eventful and emotional days of everyone here's lives. the day began with just four humans meeting four aliens. of course I had known about Maxwell being Max's son. there was no denying that one. I had always envied Max. I mean he had a child. granite he didn't know about him, but he had one. and I didn't, but come to find out I did! oh Atara. MY daughter. she looks just like her mother. her face, frame, and eyes belong to her. the only thing tying her to me is her jet black hair.

and Kyle! seems he and Tess had the same idea the other two of us had. he has a son now. the boy, Adam I think, looks just like him. only thing is that he has his mothers blonde curly hair. I'm so happy for everyone. but not everyone is happy. no. not Maria. not Michael.

I saw the look on Michael's face when he saw Mickey. noticing how she looked just like Maria. he knows that she is Maria's daughter. and he knows he's not the father. but who is? even I don't know. Maria had never said, so we had never asked. all I know about the kid is that she's Maria's, Mickey isn't her real name, ( who knows what it really is ), and that she's never been seen using any 'powers' so as far as we know she's not an alien. other than that, the rest of us are in the dark. but we really don't mind.

=Mickey=

it was Sunday so the Crashdown was closed. everyone in the little 'I Know An Alien Club' as it was once referred to was there. Kyle was talking to the woman called Tess over by the counter. Alex was cuddling in the corner with the pretty lady. I think my mom had called her Isabel. Liz and Max-not Maxwell but Max-were in 'The Booth' simply smiling at each other. it was making me sick. and then there was my mom and the guy named Michael. they were sitting at a table together but were barely speaking. I couldn't help but feel this weird vibe come from them and I tried my best to stay away and not make eye contact. it was making me feel really uncomfortable.

everyone was paired off and yakin away. even the stupid 'I'm going to call you Mickey Green when your name is Mickey Blue' Maxwell was talking to somebody. as soon as he found out that there were more people like him and one's that were his age too he went strait to them. they-being Maxwell, Adam, and Atara-went to the back to discuss 'alien' things and go crack rocks. no rock stands a chance against those three.

I'm jealous of him. of little Max. he's got people here who love and care for him. he's got a mom that's not a little off. he's got a dad. he's got two people his age that are exactly like him. he has everything his little alien heart could want. and what do I have. I've got a mom that's possibly nuts, a ghetto full of troubles, and a damn New York accent that likes to sneak up on me. yes, I'm jealous of him to every existent.

***New York***

=Calandra=

I could feel that something was up. when ever something is bothering someone I feel it too. I've always been able to do that, unlike my twin brother. and it's always been more prominent when it concerns Mickey Blue. maybe because we're best friends or maybe because I've known her all my life. it could be because we're related. I don't know why, it just has been.

I could feel her loneliness and her jealousy. her anger and her sorrow. she was alone there and she needed me. needed us. she was calling me. calling me to her.

" hey! " I yelled out into the tunnels of our home in the sewers.

" what!? " I heard Rath yell back.

" we need ta gota Roswell! " I called back to the darkness.

" why da hell do we need ta go there?! " Rath screamed out.

" cuz Mickey Blue's alone! "

" hey so what's up wit da sodden concern fo Mickey Blue? " Lonnie asked me as she came through the south door, the sly smile on her lips. she always asks me that question. she looks for conflict in everything.

" whadda ya mean? " I said flatly.

" oh she always up wit Mickey Blue. " Ava defended me. backing down when she saw the look in Lonnie's eyes. Lonnie was looking for a fight. I don't think Ava has ever gotten over all the times she was beat-up by Lonnie when she was young.

" what 'bout Roswell? " Zan questioned coming in through the west door.

" Cala here thinks we should gota Roswell cuz lil' Mickey Blue's alone. " Lonnie said smiling.

" it's not just cuz of that. I feel like somethin' bad is gonna happen. " I explained.

" I think we should goes. it's Mickey Blue we's talkin' 'bout. who knows what'll happen wit her. " Rath said sticking his head in the door.

" you jus wanna go cuz your worried 'bout your babe. " Lonnie teased. everyone knows Rath thinks of Mickey Blue as his kid. they're really close.

" so. " Rath retorted.

" then let's go. " Zan said. and what Zan said went, and so did we.

" anybody seen my dumbass twin? "

" who? oh! Cade? nope. sorry Opie. " Lonnie smiled.

" don't call me Opie! " I yelled. I hate it when she calls me that. that and Cala. my name is Calandra. not Cala or Opie.

" calm down Shortie. Cade's at da Square. " Ava spoke. or Shortie.

" I'll get 'em. " Zan offered, I don't know why. he doesn't like Cade much. Zan and I are much closer. and he calls me Calandra.

***Tymes Square***

=Zan=

I didn't really want to go looking for Cade. but I was the only logical choice. I couldn't let Calandra get him incase she got another message or something from Mickey Blue. Lonnie, I don't trust her to do it. she'd take the kid and go rob a bank before coming home. I just don't trust her after what she did to me. I know she'll never do anything like that again. not after what I did to her and Rath when they came back and saw me alive. no. she'll never do it again. but still... I couldn't tell Rath to do it. no. he's too worried about his babe, Mickey Blue. Ava. no. Ava's considered a pushover to Cade. he'd never listen to her.

" hey Cade! " I called once I finally spotted him.

" aw... what now! " he answered back.

" we gotta goes to Roswell, Calandra says there's trouble wit Mickey Blue. "

" what 'bout Mickey Blue? "

" I dunno. "

" oh. alright. let's goes. " Cade shrugged and we started walking back. I looked over at the boy beside me and shook my head. of all our blood he was so much like Lonnie. after I was brought back by the crystals and had settled everything with Lonnie and Rath we started to experiment with the crystals. we found out that the crystals if given blood made an alien. so we took the crystals and dropped all four of our blood on them. a year later we had Cade and Calandra.

Calandra had her dark brown hair like Rath and I and had Aqua eyes like Ava. out of all four of our blood combined she's more like Ava and I. she's calm and collective. she's always hanging around me. I guess were close. none of us think of Calandra and Cade as our kids but as our little sister and brother.

Cade. Cade had blonde hair like Lonnie and Ava and brown eyes like Rath and I. but he acted just like Lonnie and Rath. for a while Cade was everything to Rath. that was until Maria came with Mickey Blue. and then something happened to Rath and Mickey Blue became the center of his world.

***Dupes Home***

=Lonnie=

I was sitting on the couch when Zan walked in with Cade. " so what's up? " I asked filling the air with words. hating the silence. I hate silence.

" we're gettin' ready ta gota Roswell. " Zan stated to me, like an order. I hate orders too. [ why do we hafta goes all da wa- ] I didn't get to finish my thought because Cala hit the floor. Ava ran to her.

" yous okay? " she asked tentively.

" it's Mickey Blue.... somethin's wrong....not yet....we gotta goes. " Cala spoke brokenly.

" alright! let's go! " Rath stood up and headed toward the door.

" no! " Cala gasped.

" what is it, Cala? " I asked her.

" yous guys can't go....there's somethin' bad out there. " she stood up. " we'll go. me and Cade. yous guys stay here. okay? "

" okay, Calandra. " Zan nodded his head to her. " your da man on this. "

" what?! " Rath nearly jumped out of his skin. " no we gotta goes! "

" no, Rath. we's stay. " I glared at him. he backed off. I still hold the rains on him and Ava.

=Ava=


Calandra and Cade were leaving for Roswell to see what was up with Mickey Blue and Co. I could tell Calandra wasn't letting on to all of what she knew but I thought it better to keep shut. looking over at Rath I could see worry all over his face. his lil' Mickey Blue was in trouble and he couldn't do a damn thing about it. I laughed. his lil' Mickey Blue. he had given her that name when she was little and had come to him crying because she hated her name. when did Rath get so soft. but then again, we all had gotten soft. Lonnie was the only one with the majorly sharp edge on her. she's always been like that though...

[ I hope they'll be okay... ] I told Rath through my thoughts.

[ I thinks Cala'll be okay but I don't know 'bout Cade. that kid can't do shit. ] he thought back to me.

[ tell me somethin' I don't knows. ] I rolled my eyes and he laughed.

***Crashdown***

=Isabel=

I was talking with Alex when I saw Maria get up from the table and start to head toward the door.

"hey!" the girl called Mickey called out. " where are YOU going? "

"I'm going to Marathon." Maria stated flatly, catching the young girl offgaurd.

"why?" the girl shook her head in confusion.

"I'm going to drop in on my cousin Sean."

"whooho, relatives...can I come?" the girl asked sweetly.

"no."

"WHAT?!" Mickey's jaw dropped. "why?!"

"because you're delinquent enough as it is! like I want him rubbing off on you!" Maria scoffed and stepped outside.

[why would she want to see Sean? I thought she hated him.] I thought as I saw her step out of the Crashdown with Mickey close behind.

"what? you're leaving me with the aliens?! have you hit your head recently?" Mickey called out of he doorway. I felt a twinge of resentment for her comment on aliens. I wondered why she hated us so much. I couldn't figure out why she was so prejudice of aliens. I didn't know then but she had good reason too.

"yes. I'm leaving and I'm going now. I'll see you tomorrow."

"well fine! be that way! leave me to fend for myself!" Mickey called out as Maria got in her car.

"I will! see ya later hon!" I heard Maria yell back. Mickey completely exited the Crashdown and stood on the curb trying to balance it. "I love you!"

"bye mom!"Mickey yelled and lost her balance falling off the curb and into the road just as a car was coming. I watched as the little blue Honda swerved to avoid running over Mickey but only to slam into Maria head on.

~Crash~

my heart stopped and I held my breath. [oh my god! Maria!] my mind screamed.

"Mom!!!!!!!!!!!"came the desperate cry from Mickey. I was trying to make my way out of the Crashdown with everyone else that heard the sound of metal smashing and glass busting when I saw Mickey run over to her mother's car and pull her out. she laid her on the ground and hovered over her like a humming bird over a flower.

when I reached Maria, Mickey was still hovering over her, a distressed look on her face. but not a single tear. she was more composed than I was. Tess and Max had gone over to the other car to check on the people in the car to see if they were okay while Liz frantically called 911.

"how's the people in the other car?" Kyle yelled across the street to Max and Tess as they came running up beside me.

"dead. the both of them." Tess said gasping for air.

"we tried to heal them but we weren't quick enough." Max grimaced.

"Michael how is Maria? Can you heal her?" I asked, worry in my tone.

"she's bleeding badly. and all over." Michael answered. I should have known. he never gives a simple 'yes' or 'no'. he always beats around the bush instead of going right through it.

"Alex! go tell Liz to tell the paramedic on the phone about he people in the car. " Kyle ordered. "Mickey? are you okay?"

"yeah I'm fine...how's my mom? can they heal her?" Mickey asked stepping out from behind me.

"Michael's working on her right now." I tried to reassure her but I knew I was failing miserably.

"Michael...I love you."came Maria's quiet voice. "Michael..tell Mickey.... I love... her...I never... got to..."

"sshhh. don't...don't speak...no regrets..."Michael pulled Maria to him, his voice cracking.

"I never ...told you...about...My-" Maria's voice stopped and she closed her eyes.

"Maria? Maria?!" Michael began to shake Maria's body violently. "Maria!!!" he let out a hoarse cry before doubling over onto her. clutching onto her like a china doll.

"Mom?..." a meek voice questioned.

[oh god! Mickey!] I screamed in my head. how could life be so cruel to her. making her watch her mother die... I looked behind me at her stiff and pale figure. I could see her unshed tears in her eyes, but she was being strong and not crying. she was her mother's daughter after all. and the DeLuca women didn't cry. but the Evans do. and I did.

I cried. not for me though. and I didn't even cry for Maria even though death had claimed her and she would no longer be able to cry. no. I cried for Mickey because SHE couldn't, and she wouldn't for a long time ever again.

***New York***

=Rath=

the first time I felt it I thought it was heartburn. I was sitting on the couch and felt a slight pang against my chest. so I stood up to stretch thinking that would help and it got worse by the second. the next thing I know I'm on the floor clutching at my chest and gasping for air. Ava ran over to me and asked me what was wrong but I couldn't answer. all I could do was lay on the ground.

it felt as though someone had stuck their hand inside my chest and squeezed the air from my lungs. the beating of my heart increased so fast that I thought it was going to come out of my body! then it stopped. not just the burning feeling or the lung pressure or my irregular heart rate. I mean everything stopped. my heart stopped and my breathes were no more. and then just as fast as it happened it went.

at first I though something awful had happened to Mickey Blue. but I'd never gotten like that when it was Mickey Blue. only Calandra got like that when it was Mickey Blue. this was much bigger. this was Michael. Michael was in pain.

***outside of Oklahoma***

=Cade=

we were driving along down the road when Calandra pulled off the road.

"whadda ya doin'?" I asked.

"it's about to-" Cala started to say something but she didn't get to finish it because she was thrown back by some unseen force. I had seen this before. Cala and Mickey are really close. they can feel what the other is feeling. but when one-usually Mickey-get's really emotional, her emotions become more intense and the other starts to thrash. most of the time the one that's doing the trashing is Cala. it must suck to be her.

for at least an hour or more Cala laid twisted and screaming in the middle of a desert road. I just sat there. there was nothing I could do. not with this.

when the screams stopped and the spasms calmed we climbed back into the car and continued the day.

***funeral***

=Max=

it was a bright December day. some how very quickly it got very cold and it had snowed the night before. we walked in a strait line and paid our respects. I went first.

"hey Maria. I hope you're safe and happy. I'll take care of Michael. don't worry. I love you." I spoke the words to her coffin and waited for the rest to come over towards me. Liz came up after me.

"Maria? can you hear me?" I heard Liz ask to the air, her voice choking back sobs. " don't worry about us, we'll be okay. I love you honey." and with that she quickly hurried to my side and held on to me for dear life, crying into my chest. Alex came next.

"Pea Pod? hey girlfriend. please be okay. I love you. " Alex gave a grim smile and joined Liz and I. Isabel came forward.

"Maria. oh god Maria. I'm so sorry. I'll take care of Mickey for you. I promise. I love you."Isabel walked over to us and I could see the ruminates of tears on her face. Kyle stepped up.

"hey 'Ria. I always thought of you as my sister. because of our parents. but I don't really know what to say to you, kid. well, I love you. and I'll make sure Mickey doesn't go to jail." Kyle said softly but I could still hear him as he spoke the words he was so unsure of. he Kyle came over to our side as Tess began to walk up.

"Maria? Maria...I..I..I don't know exactly what to say. I feel as though I didn't get to spend enough time with you. I never had enough time..." Tess began to cry and came and latched on to Kyle. Maxwell was next.

"Aunt Maria...I love you and um...I promise not to turn Mickey's hair purple again. " Maxwell blurted out and hurriedly came to join us. next was Atara and Adam.

"we didn't really know you but we felt as if we did." they spoke in unison. " please forgive us for wasting our time and not getting to know you..." and they left. Michael came forward.

"Maria. Maria. oh dear god Maria. why did you leave me? I came back to you and you left me here. what am I to do now? I love you, Maria. always." Michael's confession to Maria was bittersweet to my ears. he had finally learned to love, and had lost the only thing he could. once Michael finally came down Mickey went up.

when Mickey went up to the casket she just stood there, not saying a word. her silence saying all that she couldn't. she closed her eyes and opened them slowly, as to not let the tears fall. and they didn't.

when everyone had said their good-bye's the casket was lowered into the ground. one by one we began to throw our flowers onto the descending coffin. each of us tossing a single white rose. but not Mickey. no, when everyone's flowers were in and the diggers were about to begin Mickey threw in the last bundle of flowers. forget-me-nots.

***Crashdown***

=Tess=

after the funeral we all went to the Crashdown to do just that, crash down. we were emotionally spent. the week had brought us both joy and sorrow. joy that we were reunited with the ones we loved and joy that we had sons and daughters.

and sorrow. sorrow for the death of Maria. sorrow for Michael, who had just lost the love of his life, and now only had half a soul. and sorrow for Mickey. she had no one now. no mother. no father. no one. Isabel said that she's going to take care of her. I don't know why but if Isabel says she's going to do something then she's going to do it.

as I looked around the room at all the wounded face there are two that really caught my eye.

Michael. he looked dead inside. his eyes were empty and black and his face held the same placid look. he was retreating into the 'Stone Wall Gurien' facade. but this time he could keep it up, because now there was no one to break it down.

Mickey. Mickey was curled up in the corner of the restaurant with her knees against her chest, looking off into space. she looked like she had just seen the end of the world and was the only survivor. and in a way she was.

" Isabel. " I called out.

" what, Tess? " Isabel asked as she crossed the room to me.

" about Mickey...she...she looks so...so..." I couldn't find the word.

" lost. alone. disoriented. confused. wounded. broken. " Isabel supplied.

" yeah..."

" I know. I don't know what to do about her or Michael. I swear they are just alike." Isabel slightly smiled and then frowned again.

~Ding~

the bell on the door of the Crashdown chimed and I looked up to see who would bother coming in at a time like this when I saw two young kids. a boy and girl, enter and run strait toward Mickey.

=Calandra=

as I opened the glass door to the Crashdown I immediately searched for her. scanning the room I spotted her clutching her knees to her chest as she sat on the counter in the corner. I ran up to her and grabbed her legs.

" yous okay? oh my god! Mickey Blue? " I shook her until she came out of her daze. she looked directly into my eyes and I could see myself in them from all the tears built up inside them. her glossy eyes screamed at me and I backed away in fear. "Mickey Blue?"

" I tried to save her. I tried to heal her. she wouldn't let me. she wouldn't let me heal her. she wouldn't let them heal her. why? why did she do that? " Mickey stared at me for the answers but I had none. she slipped off the counter and continued to look at me with those eyes of hers. those piercing green eyes. I backed away a little more.

"why couldn't I heal her?" she asked me again. then from behind me a voice said. " you can't honey you're not an alien." not an alien? Mickey Blue? and then I remembered what Zan had told me long ago and then their comment made sense.

"why! why wouldn't she let me!" Mickey began to talk louder and I noticed that all the glass in the restaurant had a small crack in it. "why did she leave me! " she shouted, the glass cracking a little more. the others in the room began to notice. " why does everyone that I care about die! " her voice rose and the glass cracked a little more. " why? why! WHY?! " she cried one last time, causing the cups to burst into shards and the glass windows and doors to shatter into a thousand pieces.

Mickey stepped towards me again and again I backed up. I knew that every time I did I was hurting her, but I couldn't help it. I was afraid. she stepped towards me again but this time I didn't go back. she took off her denim jacket that she always wore and flung it to the ground. as soon as she did this I heard some hushed gasps and whispers from our audience and I had guessed they had seen the tattoo on her right shoulder. the one of the alien symbol on the orbs.

once again she stepped towards me. her eyes locked on mine. I didn't move. she slowly moved to in front of me and stopped. her eyes were sending me a silent plea to give her something to take the pain away. she extended her hand and I had no choice. I pulled out my switch blade and handed it to her.

she took my offer of redemption and held it with both of her hands and walked in front of the restaurant for everyone in there to see. she turned herself around, exposing the fronts of her arms. and the numerous scars that laid upon them. she took the cool blade against her skin and pressed down. Mickey wasn't hiding anymore.

=Mickey=

I swiped the blade across my arm in three quick movements. one. two. three. three cuts. three people. three pains to make go away. after I finished I looked up and saw the horrified looks on everyone's faces, but I didn't care. not anymore. besides the pain was almost replaced. I stood there and let the cold, red, blood cascade down my pale arms. relishing in the sweet substitute it gave me. I closed my eyes.

"Mickey?" I heard one of them speak. "Mickey? come here. let me heal you..."

"Mickey?...." another one spoke to me. why couldn't they just leave me alone. I heard the one that spoke step forward forcing me to open my eyes. it was Maxwell. "Mickey..." he stepped up beside me and grabbed my arm and tried to heal me but I jerked my arm from him, causing some blood to spill on him. "Mickey let me heal you!" he yelled at me.

for a minute I just stood there contemplating whether or not I wanted to be healed. I shook my head and cleared any and all thoughts of being healed. I had never had anyone heal me before when I did this and if I wanted to be healed I'd do it myself.

"Mickey...?" he made another attempt to seize my arm and again I moved away.

"I'm not Mickey anymore..." I whispered and I closed my eyes for a second time. I like the feeling I get when I close my eyes. I feel as though nothing exists. not even me. it's an oblivion that engulfs us all into it's giant void. and you can't feel anything, not even your pain....

"what are you talking about?" Maxwell asked me so confused by my actions and words. he just doesn't understand. no one does. they can't. they don't know what it's like. being me. living MY life. feeling my pain. "Mickey, you're losing a lot of blood... we need to heal you."

"I've lost more before." I stated flatly. it was the truth. "I'm not Mickey anymore..."

"then who are you?" I heard another voice ask and I couldn't place it with a face so I was obligated to open my eyes yet again. losing the feeling of emptiness. as I opened my eyes I saw that it was Tess that had questioned me.

"I don't know." I spoke softly, the words coming out of my mouth no louder than that of a whisper. I looked up at all faces in the restaurant and saw utter mystification and distress fixed on their faces. they didn't know what to do about me. I had caused so much strife for them in that one little day.

I was the one responsible for my mother, their life long friend's death. I was the one that had made the glass shatter into a sea of sharp, glistening, waves. I was the one that had caused the fear in my best friend's eyes. I was the one who had inflicted the cuts on my arm. I was the one to blame for the all the ones suffering in the room. I was the element that caused the fatal and anguished chain reaction. I was the source of everything that went wrong.

=Liz=

I couldn't move. there before me was little Mickey Blue, Maria's happy-go-lucky daughter...cutting herself. she wouldn't let anyone heal her self inflicted wounds. not even her sort-of childhood friend Maxwell. her friends from New York were obviously scared for her.

I don't know what happened to her. I had always thought she was so happy. I never would have known. I wonder if Maria did? I think that all the grief had taken over her like a madness. I was afraid for her.

"Mickey..." I called to her and extend my hand to her. she flinched and backed up toward the door, crunching some glass with her foot. the glass. how did she do that? break the glass. I always thought she was human. but I also always thought she was happy. shows how much I know. "Mickey please!" I begged her.

"I'm not Mickey anymore! I can't stay here! no! I've got to go! I've got to leave!" she screamed holding her head in her hands shaking violently.

"then who are you?! tell us!" I heard the strange new boy yell.

"I don't know, Cade!" Mickey growled to the boy, Cade, and he instantly silenced. he feared her like this. in a state of mindless confusion and in contorted pain. I could see the fear radiating from him, yes, he was afraid then. very afraid. but then we all were.

"I have to go..." Mickey breathed and twirled around to step through the door as a voice called out to her to stop.

"no! please Mickey or whoever you are! listen you can't go! you can't give up!" the brunette girl coaxed.

Mickey turned around. "why not Calandra? everyone else has. why can't I?" she asked so eloquently.

=Kyle=

the sight before me was too much to bare. I had seen some one lose their mind before but not like that. nothing had ever been like that. I saw Mickey pick up the blade again and place it at her wrist, ready to make her final slice.

I leaned over to Max. "you've gotta do something, man."

"way ahead of you." Max said as he raised his hand and sent the blade flying out of Mickey's palm. I heard the soft grunt from Mickey and saw her try to snatch up a broken piece of glass. and again it went out of her grasp.

"stop! stop that now!" she turned to Max and I and glared. "this is none of you're concern! leave me to do what has to be done!"

"we can't let you do this, Mickey." Alex explained to her sternly.

"why?!"

"because we love you to much." Calandra supplied.

"and that's why I have to do this ! so you won't die too! please! just let me die in peace!" she pleaded.

"I'm sorry we can't. we owe it to your mother." Isabel said softly.
"no you don't owe anything to my mother. I do." she cried, the unshed tears finally rolling down her face. she once again began to pick up a piece of glass when Maxwell and Adam jumped on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

in a blast of green light the two boys were at the other end of the room and Mickey had put up what Tess had once told me was a 'shield'.

"crap! she's never going to put that thing down!" Atara said angrily.

"don't worry it won't last long. she can never control her powers." Cade whispered to us. and sure enough Mickey lost control and the 'shield' went down and so did she.

=Atara=

"get off of me! get off!" Mickey struggled with the three boys that had pinned her down to glass filled floor. I knew from the sound of her voice that with every move she made more glass shards were cutting into her.

"get her up off the floor you idiots! you're cutting her even more with the glass on the floor!" I yelled at them. how stupid boys could be. they picked her up off the floor and led her to a room upstairs. the girl named Calandra followed close behind. I decided to go up too.

***bedroom***

"get out of here!" Calandra barked at the three boys-Maxwell, Adam, and Cade. and like obedient puppies they left.

right away Calandra began to heal Mickey. she started with the bigger ones and the ones with the most blood around them. by the fourth one she looked pretty tired. "need some help?" I asked quietly, afraid she'd get mad. but instead she just smiled and nodded. I came up to Mickey's side and placed my hands on her arms. healing her earlier cuts.

when we were finished I looked down at the tiny body that was Mickey. I wondered what it must feel like to have all your family gone. I couldn't imagine life without my mom, or even my dad. I didn't even know what I would have done if some one like my Aunt Tess or Uncle Michael had died.

and that's when it really hit me. even though I had lived in a war torn world for all my life I had never experienced death or anything like that. and this girl had probably lead enough of a hard life for the both of us or more. it just didn't seem fair. but that's when I found out that life isn't fair. it never has been.

=Cade=

After Calandra had practically pushed us out of the room I went to the living room where everyone was congregating.

"I never knew that Mickey was an alien." Maxwell stated flatly.

"me neither," his mom, Liz, said.

"wow, so Mickey's an alien." the guy named Kyle said like it was some lost mystery of the world.

"o'course she's an alien." I said. "her dad wuz one."

"we know that now but," Liz turned away from me to face Alex. "why wouldn't Maria tell us? I mean I had Maxwell! what was the big deal?"

"Mickey Blue never likes ta say she's an aliens. she's ashamed of it or somethin'. she hates almost all da aliens." I informed them. "yous don't know much 'bout Mickey Blue now do's ya?"

"no...we don't." Alex sighed. "but maybe you could fill us in?"

I shrugged. "what the hell. so whats yous wanna know?"

"why is she called Mickey Blue?" Maxwell asked.

"she hates her reals name. Rath gave it tos her when we's were little."

"what's her real name?" Isabel asked me.

"whose knows! da only peeps dat knows her names is her, her moms, Ava, Rath, Lonnie, and Zan."

after awhile I had wished I didn't say that I would answer any of their questions because they knew jack about Mickey Blue. all afternoon they asked me about her. like what was her name. who was her dad. all these questions that I didn't have the answers for.

***the next day, Crashdown***

=Alex=

it was still early in the morning but everyone was up nevertheless. the aliens fixed all the broken things and everything looked as good as new. Mickey was still asleep in the bedroom with her two friends from New York. it was amazing. their loyalty to her. even in her most distraught hour they were still there.

"hey Alex! wake-up and get a move on!" Liz playfully called out to me.

"yeah, yeah. I know. 'get to work, Alex. don't just sit there, Alex.' god! tell me, Liz, what exactly is there to do today? hello? the Crashdown is closed!" I asked grinning.

"we're all going to the park today you dummy! now let's get a move on!" Isabel came up behind me and gave me a smack on my arm.

~clink clink clink~

I heard two sets of foot steps on the stairs and looked over toward the stairwell just as two very tired looking New York teen-agers came clunking down the stairs and into each other.

"rough night?" I heard Kyle joke to them. but they paid no never mind to him and headed straight for the coffee maker. each pouring them a cup of straight black coffee.

"hey! you two really shouldn't drink coffee. your only fifteen! it'll stunt your growth!" Tess informed the two teens, neither really listening.

"fine! stay five foot two for the rest of your life!" she said in a huff.

"so how's Mickey doing? is she okay?" Max asked changing the subject.

"who knows. I thinks she's a few fries short of a happy meal." Cade began but was quickly elbowed by Calandra. "but ah..that's jus my opinion..ah what's do I knows?"

"she's fine. she justs needs some rest. as soon as she's betta we's gonna take her back to New York and finds a way tos get hers off this rock." Calandra supplied.

"what do you mean get off this rock?" Tess asked.

"we's wanna goes home. to da 'alien' planet. Antar, I think." Cade said.

"um..you can't do that." Isabel began.

"why?" Calandra asked.

"because there isn't an alien planet anymore." Max painfully explained to the pour kids. "the V constellation was destroyed."

"you're shittin' me? god! we can't tell Mickey Blue. it'lls send her ovea da edge." Cade told Calandra.

"god! you mean ta tell me dat there ain't no home anymores? man. we can't go backs to New York either. we can't tell them dat there ain't no leavin' this hell hole planet. they'll kill us. no. Lonnie'll kill us." Calandra sank into the nearest booth.

"we're so sorry to tell you like this." Tess said trying to ease the load of the news.

"yeah, us too." Calandra said looking off into the distance.

their world had just been crushed. I could see it on their faces. it was the end for them. they couldn't go back home. neither one.

=Adam=

"we'll are we ready to go to the park?" Atara tried to fill the silence.

"umm..yeah I think we're all ready to go. Cade? Calandra? are you coming?" Alex asked the two strange kids.

"umm yeah. why not. we gotta get used tos this place anyways. come on Cade." Calandra pulled up on Cade's sleeve.

"hey! Uncle Michael? you comin?" I asked getting up. he didn't answer. "hey! Uncle Michael?! Earth to Uncle Michael?!"

"huh? oh! um no." he answered, obviously annoyed by me bringing him back to reality.

"oh. okay. later." I said as I headed out the door, following the rest of the group. "bye."

=Mickey=

I woke up in a daze. I couldn't tell what was reality and what was fantasy. it was all just a big blur. I pushed the heavy covers off of me and swung my legs off over the side. there before me was my mother. she was calling to me. I could see her mouth moving but nothing was coming out.

"mom?" I called out to her ghostly form. I stepped toward her and she started to walk away from me. "mom! wait! mom!"

I ran down the stairs of the Crashdown down into the empty restaurant. and there she was again. she was standing in front of the glass doors, just looking at me. I walked towards her again, and extended my hand to her.

"ahhhhhhhh!" she screamed and looked down at me and my hands. I followed her gaze and saw myself covered in blood. my clothes and face were splattered in blood and my hands looked as if they were dipped in a bucket of it. when I looked back up she was gone.

"no! mom! wait! come back!" I cried out to her. " please don't leave me alone!" and then I began to cry. I slid down the side of the wall and curled up into a ball and cried. long, hard, sobs raked through my body.

I felt a pair of strong arms come around me and hold me. I tried to open my eyes and see who it was but when I did I couldn't see because my tears blinded me. I sat there and allowed myself to be held and I cried for the second time in a long time. and soon the blackness of sleep claimed me again.

=Michael=

I was starring out the window trying to forget the world when a small but loud voice snapped me back to reality.

"mom! wait! mom!" I looked over to the stairwell and saw Mickey recklessly running down the stairs screaming. when she reached the bottom she just stood there and stared out at the glass doors, not even noticing me in the corner. after a few moments of silence she looked down at her hands and a look of horror crossed her face. then she began calling out into the air again.

"no! mom! wait! come back!" she cried. "please don't leave me alone!" and with that she sank to the floor and began to cry. soft silent sobs evacuated her body.

for a moment I just stared at the young girl crying. she was only fifteen. she was all alone. she didn't have a mother. a father. anyone. she reminded me of me. of how I didn't have anyone, and about how alone I felt. so I took her in my arms and she didn't object. she and I just simply sat there in the corner of the diner. I sat there and she cried into my chest. so much like Maria she was.

I held her until she fell asleep. I gently picked her up and carried her back up into the bedroom, tucked her back into bed, and let her sleep her sorrows away.

***park***

=Maxwell=

I was pushing Atara on the swing when I glanced over to the other swing set and saw my mom laughing happily as my dad pushed her. I had never seen her so happy. I have never seen everyone so happy.

I thought we were all happy. I thought we had all found the people we had been searching for our whole lives. I thought wrong.

when I looked over to the merry-go-round I spotted Cade and Calandra. they weren't happy. they were scared. in the Crashdown my dad, Tess, and Isabel had told them that our home world, all five of them, were destroyed. when they had heard that news they looked as if the whole world caved in on them. they probably wished it had.

"hey Cade! Calandra! what are you doing?" I asked, trying to be nice to them even though they were freaks like Mickey. I guessed I would have to be nice to her now too. since all three of them were going to stay in Roswell there was no getting around it.

"leave us alone!" Calandra growled at me, making me stop pushing Atara. Atara looked at me and then out at them.

"hey! he was just being nice!"

"we don't wants his pity." Cade glared daggers at Atara.

"what's their problem?" Adam asked as he came over.

"who knows!" I through my hands in the air as to say 'the hell if I know!'

"maybe their just really sad about Antar's destruction." Atara offered.

"yeah, maybe." I agreed and began pushing Atara again.

=Cade=

I was sitting on the merry-go-round with Cala trying to help her out. Mickey was evidently getting very emotional and Cala was picking up every vibe. they called out to us and we both leveled them with rude remarks. at the time we didn't feel bad about it because we were trying to keep a secret, but now I feel kind of bad about it.

those guys and I had fun the other day while Cala and Atara had patched up Mickey. I could tell Cala felt bad too but she knew she had to keep her thing with Mickey a secret. she was in public, it was dangerous.

"yous almost done Cala?" I lowered my head to hers and asked her.

"yeah, the shakes is almost gone." I knew that already but it was good to hear her say it. she knows more about the shakes than I do. the last thing I need is for her to start shaking around all these people. so the only thing I could do was hold her on the merry-go-round until she or Mickey calmed down.

when Cala's shakes stopped she got up and dusted her jeans off and helped me up. "we gotta go check on Mickey Blue. I thinks she's of her rocker again." and with that we slipped out of the park the way we came in. alone and unwanted.

***Crashdown***

=Cala=

Cade and I entered the empty Crashdown and headed up the stairs to Mickey Blue's room.

"what are we doin?" Cade asked me.

"we're gonna get Mickey Blue outta here. we'll take our chances wit Lonnie, we gotta get Mickey Blue home. this place ain't good for hers." I informed him as I opened the door. it squeaking alittle. I stepped in and saw Mickey Blue sitting on the bed playing with some fuzzy's trapped in the beam of sunlight coming from the window. I had never seen her look so peaceful.

I looked over into the corner and saw the guy called Michael, Rath's dupe, asleep. he must of taken care of her.

Cade stepped in the room. "yous crazy?! we can't go back there and tell them that there ain't nos gettin'off of dis rock! Lonnie'll murder us!" he yelled until he looked up and saw Mickey Blue awake and looking right at him. her eyes wide in disbelief and face pale from shock.

now she knew. but what was she going to do?

***park***

=Alex=

I looked up from the picnic table Isabel and I were sharring and noticed two of us were missing.

"hey! Maxwell!" I called out to the boy. "where are Cade and Calandra?"

he looked around and shrugged. "I don't know! they we're here a miniute ago!"

"oh shit!" I yelled and stood up from the table.

"what? what is it?" Isabel asked me wide eyed.

"Cade and Calandra have just run off."

"don't worry. they're big kids they can take care of themselves. they probably just went out and are poking about trying to find out what there is to do around here. they're like that." Isabel tried to assure me.

"no. no, I have this feeling. a bad one. we have to go to the Crashdown."

"okay let's get everyone together. it's getting dark anyway."

I ran over to Max and Liz and Isabel went over to Tess and Kyle. we got everyone together and headed back to the Crashdown. I knew something was up. something was wrong. I could feel it.

***Crashdown***

=Mickey=

I couldn't breath. my throat was dry and I tried to speak but nothing was coming out. I could feel the bile rise up into my throat and I swallowed it back down. my vision was blurred and I couldn't see strait. Cade just said there wasn't any home left for us anymore.

it couldn't be true. not now. not now. that was the only thing I had left to hold on to. my only reason for living. to finally go home. [it's not true. it's not true.] I repeated over and over again in my mind like a mantra.

I had to get out of there. I had to show them it was a lie. that the five stars were still there. that we could go home. I looked over to the window and saw that it was getting dark. I sprang up out of the bed and pushed my way to the door.

as I ran down the stair I could hear Calandra and Cade call out after me.

"wait! Mickey Blue! come back!" Calandra yelled.

"Mickey Blue get your butt backs here!" Cade screamed.

I turned around to face them but didn't see them. when I turned for the door they were there blocking it.

"move." I commanded. but they were silent. I raised my hand and sent them flying to the side and ran out the door. leaving them to pick themselves of the floor.

=Liz=

when we reached the Crashdown I nearly tripped over the unconious Calandra.

"hey. hey wake-up." I poked at Calandra trying to wake her up.

"ouch." Calandra said as she staggered up holding her head.

"she got yous bad too, huh." Cade smiled slightly as he walked over to his sister.

"yeah."

"what happened?" Kyle asked.

"Mickey Blue. that's what happened." Cade said as he rubbed his arm.

"what my brother's tryin' to say is dat he said that there ain't no home anymore and Mickey Blue heard him and she flipped on us and ran."

"where did she go? do you know?" Max asked very concerned.

"she probably went tos da desert. perfect fo stargazin'." Cade told us.

"hey where's Michael?" I asked looking around.

"who? oh that guy in da cornera. he's upstairs asleep." Calandra motioned for the stairs.

"he's asleep? Michael? he hasn't slept in days." Tess informed.

"we'll he's sleepin' like a baby." Cade raised an eyebrow.

"uh oh." Calandra began.

"un oh what?!" Isabel's grew wide.

"um..sometimes when Mickey's feelin drained she'll 'borrow' people's energy. that's probably how she was so lively todays..." Calandra hunkered down a bit.

"Michael!" Isabel called out and ran up the stairs, I followed close behind.
when we entered the tiny bedroom sure enough Michael was 'sleeping' in the corner of the room.

"Michael!" Isabel rushed to his side and began to heal him. when he came to he seemed dizzy and could barely walk. but in no time all three of us were down the stairs and back into the diner.

"we have to goes after hers. there ain't no tellin' what she's gonna do out there." Calandra warned us.

"alright we'll go get her. you guys stay here." Max told the five children to stay put as all the adults loaded up in the cars and headed out to the desert to save Mickey. from herself.

***desert***

=Tess=

as the jeep came to a halt we all got out and began searching for Mickey. the search didn't take long. up on a sand pile was Mickey shouting and cursing at the sky. we all moved around the small hill.

"where are they? I know they aren't gone! I know they aren't! they can't be! they've just moved! the Earth moves so they've moved! they have to be here! they have to be!" Mickey screamed at us as she frantically moved about searching for the V constellation that wasn't there.

"they're gone Mickey...they're gone..." I told her in a soft sympathetic voice.

"no! no! there not! they're here somewhere! you're lying! they can't be gone!" she insisted.

"Tess is right Mickey. they're gone." Isabel backed me up.

"stop calling me Mickey! I'm not Mickey!" she cried as she held her head in confusion.

"then who are you, because we don't know anymore!" Liz called out to her.

and as if in a moment of realization Mickey looked up and smile a smile that looked as if it had come from the devil himself. "I am Mykel Gurien, the biggest screw up in the entire cosmos!"

my heart stopped. Mykel Gurien. she was named after her father. she was Michael's child in everyway. not only did she have his name, but she had his life of loneliness too.

I looked over at everyone and all I saw was a see of shocked faces. I looked at Michael and he looked at me. I smiled at him and nodded gave him a nod. he should be the one to help her.

=Isabel=

Michael slowly made is way up to Mickey-no Mykel and extended his hand to her. for a miniute she just stood there and looked at. contemplating if she should except I guess.

when she finally took Michael's hand a could see a shock go between the two. when the connection was broken I could tell that they both knew now. Mykel let go of his hand and began to fall. Michael caught her and carried her back down to us all, gently nuzzling her head with his as he did.

they both had gotten what they wanted. Michael had gotten something to remember Maria by and Mykel had gotten the home she was always looking for.

=Max=

Michael placed Mykel into the jeep and climbed in beside her. as we all piled back into the cars and began down the road back to the Crashdown I turned back to Michael and said. " it's going to get confusing having two Michael's around. it's already confusing with two Maxwell's. but at least I'm called Max and he's not anymore. what are we gonna do about you two?" I smiled.

"we could always call her by her middle name." Liz offered.

"but we don't know it. and look how long it took us to get her real first name out of her!" Kyle laughed.

"her middle name is Grace." Michael spoke. "she said we can call her Gracie."

"that's nice." Tess smiled. "Gracie Gurien."

****one year later, desert****

=Gracie=

it's been a year now since that night out in the desert. everyone stayed in Rowell. it is the home of the aliens after all. I talked to the gang in New York once. they told me that it was okay that we weren't coming back. they knew we wouldn't when we left.

Calandra lives with Max, Liz, and Maxwell. they adopted her. I asked Maxwell once about how he likes having a 'freak' for a sister and he just told me to shut-up. she's not what Maxwell would consider a freak anymore. she adapted to Roswell life really quickly. I knew she would. she was never a true New Yorker. she wanted something better.

Cade. Cade was adopted by Kyle and Tess. they try to de-New York him all the time but it usually fails. they finally got him to speak 'proper' English and got him to 'dress like a law abiding citizen'. it was hilarious the first time I saw him in a polo shirt.

my dad and I live in an apartment and are doing good. Isabel thinks of me as her daughter and comes and visits us here. a lot. she says that she has to make sure Michael's feeding me. I'm doing better now. I can control my powers better than I ever could. and it's not so bad about not finding home because I've got one right here.

I still think about my mom. I think about her all the time. I miss her.

I hate the month of December. it reminds me of all the stuff that happened to me that month. it reminds me of my mom. and every time I think about my mom I think about that stupid but terrifyingly true nursery rhyme we used to sing together. I think she knew what was coming. she always knew those things some how. she also knew that in the end we all fall down.

'Ring around the rosy, Pockets full of poesies, Ashes, Ashes, We all fall down'


The End

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so what do you think? e-mail me at Sodapop363@hotmail.com ~Isabel DeVore