"Michael!" Maria exclaimed happy to see him, "Where have you been the past two days?"
"Just… out." Michael said.
"Out!?" Maria was becoming upset. She thought this was too much like the "old" Michael. "Is that all you have to say! Max, Liz, Isabel… We were all worried about you Michael. And, without worrying about anything you just left – Without saying a word! What is with that Michael?"
"I just had some things to sort out, okay?"
Maria started to laugh a little, "Things to sort out? Like what, Michael?"
"I don't have time for this," Michael said and walked off.
"Michael wait!" Maria ran up and stood in front of him, "I thought we were a team. This is the kind of thing that you do that just drives me crazy! I thought we were getting closer. I thought we were past all of this."
"Look," Michael said, becoming annoyed, "why do I always have to explain myself to you, huh? Why are you always wanting to spend so much time with me?"
"I thought you wanted to spend time with me."
"Yeah, well…" Michael paused, "Now I don't." With that he walked off, leaving Maria standing alone on the street, her heart crushed. In the end, she decided that Michael was just blowing steam. They had become so close, she couldn't believe he could just dump her in the cold again.
Meanwhile, Isabel was jogging, something she had done everyday since she found out about Vilandra. This morning Max had decided to join her as Liz was off with her parents visiting her relatives in Florida, but only for a couple of weeks this time. Max was not in as good of shape as Isabel and she was ahead of him. Suddenly she stopped.
Max caught up, "Getting tired."
"Oh my god, Max," Isabel was shocked, "look, at the girl, it's Lonnie."
Lonnie saw the brother and sister and turned away, but Max and Isabel caught up. "Well, well," Lonnie said, "if it isn't my favorite Martians. What's up?" she said with that NY accent.
"What are you doing here?" Max asked.
"Behind this old building no less?" Isabel added.
"I was just…" Lonnie was cut off by a muffled noise.
While keeping his eyes on Lonnie, Max investigated. Huddled behind a dumpster was someone. At first he couldn't see who, then he knew. "Tess?" Max said surprised as he removed her gag. He held out his hand, ready to attack and asked, "But you left."
Tess gulped and started breathing heavily, "That was Ava."
"Ava?" Max said absorbing this new information.
"She made her do it," Tess said, pointing to Lonnie, "She didn't want to, but she made her."
Max looked up at Lonnie, "Is this true?"
"Yeah, so what if it is?" Lonnie said.
"And where's Rath?" Isabel wondered aloud.
Lonnie answered quickly, "He's dead! I took care of him after Max here bailed on us with the summit."
"Why?" Max wondered.
"Cause I was upset!" Lonnie stated.
Suddenly a car horn was honked. Max and Isabel turned around startled. Lonnie used this opportunity to try and run away. However, Valenti was the one honking the horn. He cuffed her, and locked her in his car. He approached Max, Isabel, and Tess, the real Tess.
"Everything okay here?" he asked.
"We're fine here, now," Max said.
"What do you want me to do with her?" Valenti asked.
"Could you just hold her for a few days, Sher… uhhh… Jim. We need time to figure out what's happening. I'll fill you in later."
"Will do," Valenti said, and got in his car and drove off.
Max and Isabel leaned over to talk with Tess.
"Max," Tess said, "I know what she did to you. I'm so sorry. I never made that deal with Kavar. I'm loyal. I… I love you. I'll always be there for you – no matter what."
Max hugged Tess. He looked at Isabel as a request for privacy. She nodded and backed away as Max, comforting Tess said, "I know. It's okay, Tess. Everything's going to be fine now. Part of me, the alien part, always had doubts that you betrayed me. It just didn't add up, you were always at my side with support, and suddenly you weren't. Come on, let's get you cleaned up and rested. I have to tell Michael."
In an abandoned warehouse just outside of Roswell, a figure was tied up. He had been unconscious for a while and his head hurt. He was getting a gift for his girlfriend when an old enemy got the jump on him. He knew what would happen next. Something big was going down. He knew he had to get free, and protect the people he cared about. He was so tired though – dizzy. He fell asleep before he could break free.
Max had given Michael the news at the Crashdown, but Michael seemed distant and annoyed. It was almost as if he had already known, but Max just figured that he didn't care. Isabel was always close to Tess, and Max had learned she was a really good person, more alien than the others were, but with everything she had gone through with Nasado and the FBI it was understandable. Michael had never warmed up to Tess, and Max thought that his "Second in Command" was just looking out for him. Yesterday he would have felt like praising Michael for this, but no, he knew Tess, she was one of them. Liz would be furious, but Max felt like brand new ever since Tess came back. He became embraced with a newfound confidence and self-assuredness. Michael wasn't being fair though, he wouldn't allow himself to see any good in Tess. Max knew he would have to have a talk with him, but he would wait. The four aliens had plans to see a movie that night. A reunion and celebration.
Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess got out of Maria's car that Michael was somehow able to get them to borrow. They began walking to Roswell's one and only movie theater. Suddenly, Tess saw something.
"Oh my god, Max look!" She exclaimed in a whisper.
"I don't see anything, it's so dark," Max said, straining his eyes to see something.
"It's nothing," Michael said, "she's still disoriented from being kidnapped."
Max wanted to say something back, upset by Michael's reaction to Tess's find. Isabel wouldn't give him the chance, "Look, it's Nicholas!"
The four ran up to the child, and Isabel, Michael, and Tess reluctantly got in position to hold him at bay. Max began to ask questions, but Nicholas resisted.
Maria had been out with an old friend of Alex's. She saw the four huddled together in the middle of the street, and approached. "You're going to miss your movie," she said playfully.
Michael walked over to her, leaving only Isabel and Tess to keeping Nicholas from running off. Michael put his arms around Maria, "What do you say you and me go off, and do our own thing," he said.
What is he doing, Max thought, annoyed.
Maria smiled, "What makes you think I want to, after that incident this afternoon."
"Oh, forget about that…" Michael said.
A stumbling figure moaned and approached the six of them. At first they thought he was a drunk. He spoke, "Get away from her!" He held out his hand. A blinding light flashed and Michael flew back. As the stumbling stranger came closer, and stepped into the street light he looked very familiar.
"Michael?" Max said.
"That must be… Rath." Tess said, gesturing to the apparent impostor lying on the ground. Rath was now unconscious.
Max turned back to Nicholas. He yelled, loud and with authority, "What is going on here!?" he demanded.
"Kavar's invasion force is coming." Nicholas said and smiled, "He wanted to distract you first, but that's not working. You see, he finally got sick of waiting for you to die. Even after I got that tramp from New York to try to get you back to our world. You can kill me now, but you can't stop this, Max. Kavar is coming, all the way from home, and he will kill you."
Max looked deeply concerned. He let Nicholas run off and disappear. What could he do now? What could any of them do now? He decided they should take Michael home, and heal him up. Then, they would have to find a way to stop Kavar and the rest of the aliens from killing the Royal Four, and the last chance to pull their former world out of the darkness. Max and Xan are not one in the same, but Max knew he had an obligation, he had a mission, and something deep inside him wouldn't let him fail. Now, he had an invasion to stop, and he still had a child to save.