Living The Blues

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: If I owned these character would I be here in New Zealand writing Fanfiction, you do the math!!

Author's Note: I would dedicate this story to Bubbles, but she's mocking me at this very moment so HA HA HA! But I would like to thank those who commented on part one, thanks heaps!!! I feel so special!!

Maria could barely contain her excitement, she was heading to the Big Apple, and almost subconsciously she began to hum "New York, New York". She sensed Michael's eyes on her and turned to grin at him.

"O.K. Michael a few ground rules, say please and thank you to the flight attendants, do not be rude or hostile in any way, shape or form, and most importantly be polite."

"Ha Ha" Michael replied sarcastically, but he couldn't stop the grin on his face. "It may come as a surprise to you, but I do have some manners, Isabel my adoring sister made sure of that".

"Thank you Izzy!" Maria leaned forward and gave Michael a peck on the cheek.

"Flight 241 to New York now boarding at gate 12"

Michael reluctantly released Maria from their embrace and picked up their carry-on luggage. "Let's go."

Max glanced around at his anxious friends, Tess, hysterical with worry was being comforted by Liz, he would have found this ironically funny if the situation wasn't so dire. They'd looked everywhere, but it seemed as if Kyle had disappeared into thin air. Alex's voice drew him out of his thoughts.

"Isabel, why don't you try to dream walk Kyle. It worked with Max."

"I'll try but I'm not sure it will work, Max was drugged and trusts me completely. Kyle and I still aren't that close." Isabel replied anxiously.

"Take me with you, I love him Iz and I'm sure he'll let me in".

Isabel slowly nodded in agreement, and the group turned to look at Max, as if asking his approval. I wish they'd stop looking to me all the time; I don't have all the answers! Max thought but outwardly he just nodded.

"Let's do it."

"Tess, all you have to do is take my hand." Isabel said reassuringly, as she reached for Tess.

"Let's do it." Almost simultaneously their eyes flittered shut, and they were in. "Kyle, Kyle!" Tess called, but she couldn't see him, it was completely black, then suddenly,

"Tess, thank god you're here, come on let's go."

"Kyle, I'm not really here, I'm just in your dream. We'll come and get you if you tell us where you are, think really hard." Images flashed before Tess' eyes, images she recognised. Both she and Isabel sat up suddenly and pulled in great gasps of air. "I don't believe it, he's at the base, where they took Max, you know the white room." Before Max could stop it a shudder ran through his body Liz was the only one who noticed, and she slipped a reassuring arm around his waist.

"Well, why are we still standing here, hello? People let's move." Tess' worry had been temporarily on pause on seeing Kyle's uninjured form, but she was again anxious to get going.

"Maybe we should call the Sheriff. Kyle is his son, and he helped us out last time." Liz said, clearly thinking of Valenti's evident worry if he discovered they were all missing.

"Good idea Liz, come on we'll go see him now." No one argued with Max's light command, and they piled in the jeep and headed to the Valenti's, their load one body lighter.

Michael and Maria had been waiting on the plane for over an hour, there had been a bomb scare and all planes had been temporarily grounded and their passengers forbidden to leave. "Could I be any more bored?" Maria asked, more to herself than to her unusually silent neighbour.

"Hmmmn?" Michael replied, naughty thoughts had been running through his head, he'd heard airplane bathrooms were… cosy, and similar to eraser rooms, and this made it hard for him to concentrate on Maria's complaints.

"I said I'm bored! Can you think of anything to pass the time?" Maria's thought were not of a different content to Michael's and she was hoping he was thinking the same thing.

Michael reached up and pushed the button to call for the flight attendant. Within seconds a way too perky lady turned up and asked what she could do for him.

"I know we're not meant to leave our seats, but my gir… travelling partner here, had a really large cup of coffee before we got on the flight, and she really has to go."

"Michael, what are you ohhh." Maria clicked onto Michael intentions, and began to play along. "Yep, uh-huh, I really have to pee, can I please use the bathroom." The bathroom that can substitute an eraser room, although she didn't say that last part out loud. The flight attendant smiled widely at Michael (a little too widely in Maria's opinion), and replied that yes indeed Maria could use the bathroom as it's not airline policy to cause any discomfort to their passengers. Maria grinned at the irony in the woman's comment, and sent a sly glance at Michael as she sidled out of her seat and headed down the aisle. Within moments the door swung open and there he was.

"Let's go." Without waiting for her reply her grabbed her wrist and used his powers to unlock the door and they ran down the gangplank and across the runway.

"Michael, what's going on? What about New York?" Maria was beginning to get a little scared, and Michael's grip on her wrist was painful.

"Oh, I don't think we will be going to New York, in fact I think I've spent too much time in that rat-hole of a city. Right here in Santa Fe is just fine." To Maria's astonishment Michael's hair changed into a Mohawk, piercing appeared in his nose and lip, and his clothes became, well, punk!

"You're not Michael!" was the last thought that went through Maria's mind as a blast of power sent her unconscious to the ground. Rath looked at the pitiful human on the ground in front of him, and lifted her into his (though not legally) car, and drove away from the airport towards the desert.

Jim Valenti was pacing in his bathrobe, sick with worry. Max and the others had got him up to speed, and he was now trying to find a solution.

"Look, we know where he is, and even how to get in so can we just go?" Tess asked impatiently. Tess' worry although understandable, was driving everyone nuts, to the point that Max was ready to send her on her own to 'save the day'.

"Tess, will you please calm down. Whilst Pierce is out of the picture, another alien-hunter would be just as or even more dangerous, not only to you, Max, Isabel and Michael, but Alex, Liz, Maria and myself. Last time was a much to close call and we need to plan it out this time, since we don't have Nasedo or Michael's powers to help." Jim was trying to make her see sense, and he could see her mind processing his words. Suddenly a blast of power sent a lamp across the room and into the wall as Tess let off steam and Jim heard a small, almost unnoticeable gasp. He ran to the door and there was Amy Deluca. "Jesus, Amy, what the hell are you doing here?" But no reply came, Amy was staring with horrified fascination, not to mention fear at the 3 aliens. Jim opened his mouth to explain, but Max beat him to it.

"Sheriff, if you don't mind I think I should try to explain." Jim nodded knowing that only Max could tell his story. " We won't hurt you, and we do come in peace' as the saying goes, will you just hear us out" Amy lowered herself onto the couch and looked up at Max expectantly, he took a deep breath and began to tell the tale. "The crash in 1947, was actually real…"

Michael had finally escaped the flight attendant, who hadn't seemed to understand the words "not interested", and was heading towards Maria. As he neared the bathroom he could see that the door was open and Maria nowhere in sight. He ran to the exit and looked around, but he couldn't see her. He tried to run out but was stopped by another flight attendant.

"Please remain in your seats, and the problem will be solved shortly." She said, and reluctantly Michael headed back down the aisle, but as the attendant headed into the cockpit, he snuck out. Running across the runway, thoughts were racing through Michael's head, did she just see an escape, or did someone forcibly take her, dammit he knew just being with him would be dangerous or her, suddenly he tripped and hit the asphalt. Cursing he climbed to his feet, but something glinting caught his eye, he bent down and picked up a diamond earring, no, Maria's earring the one he'd given her for Christmas. He concentrated on it and got a flash, albeit a short, undecipherable one, but enough to convince him that Maria did not leave of her own will, but he couldn't see her abductor. He raced for the airport, and putting pride behind him headed to the payphones to call Max, the King could be a pain in the ass, but he was the only one who would know what to do.

Max didn't know what to do, he'd finished his life story a few minutes ago and Amy hadn't said a word, but she hadn't run screaming from the room, so he had a little hope.

"Listen Amy, the kids are on the good side, I know it and you know I'm a great judge of character." Jim said trying to reassure his girlfriend.

"Yea, Mrs. Deluca, I love Max, and I know in my heart that he will do no one intentional harm." Liz looked hopefully towards Amy who was nodding thoughtfully.

"I have no doubt as to your goodness, but what I really want to know is where the HELL IS MY DAUGHTER!!!" Amy voice rose as she said the last part, and the rest of group remembered that Michael and Maria had no clue about the situation with Kyle.

"Maria is fine, she just went on a road trip with Michael." As soon as Alex had spoken he regretted his words, Amy was reaching boiling point. Jim placed a calming hand on her shoulder, and reminded the group of the trouble at hand and with a couple of arguments over who would attend the rescue, all of the group including Amy and Jim piled into the Valenti car and the jeep and headed towards the compound, resolved to call Michael on the way. As the cars headed out of the driveway a phone rang inside the house unheard by those on a mission.

Michael almost screamed in frustration, after trying the Evans', Parker, and Whitman residences, he had tried the Valenti's and had still received no reply. Where could they all be? Then it hit him, it was Friday and the day of the much-talked about, much-anticipated triple-date. Max had tried to convince him to go, but he hadn't wanted to be put in that kind of situation with Maria, and despite himself he grinned going on a roadtrip hadn't been to bright an idea either. But the smile quickly disappeared from his face. He had to get Maria back, he really had to finish the sentence he had been unable to before.