CHAPTER 27
"Michael," breathed Maria. He'd come. She hadn't been sure he would, but she'd hoped. And he was here, so suddenly that she'd hardly had time to sense him before he spoke. He'd actually come. He...
...looked terrible. His eyes were dark pools in a washed-out face; his clothes were wrinkled; even his hair stuck out sloppily. In more directions than usual. Maria noted this in a flash, instantly forgetting the notes, the beheaded alien, everything except Michael. "Are you all right?" she asked tensely.
Ignoring her question, his eyes bored into hers. "You what?" he demanded, then looked away and visibly seemed to take control of himself. "You what?" he repeated, softer this time.
"I..." she began, only to stumble to a halt at the dead look in his eyes.
Alex sighed. This was evidently going to take some time. "We've got a lot to discuss. Why don't we sit down?" he suggested.
Nodding her thanks, Liz led the others into the Crashdown's dining room and summoned the energy to play hostess. "Let me take your coats," she said to the alien trio. Isabel handed hers over with a smile, with Max following suit. Liz turned to the newcomer, who was standing in the doorway leading back to the break room, his eyes fixed on Maria. "Michael?" she said, her hand out for his jacket.
He turned to her and mumbled, "I'll keep mine." Shoving his hands in his pockets, he ignored the odd look she gave him before she turned away to drape the Evanses' jackets neatly over the counter.
"Come sit down," ordered Maria, who had slid into the booth, beside Alex. Michael reluctantly approached, reaching an arm out to snag a chair and pull it over to the booth next to her. As Liz crossed to join them, he hesitated, then gave a little nod towards the empty chair, silently offering it to her.
"Thanks," she said. He didn't respond, only moved back to grab another chair and pull it over, setting it slightly apart from the others and then sitting. He looked up to find five pairs of eyes studying him. He ignored four of them.
"Tell me what happened to you," he said, scrutinizing her face.
"I will; that's why we're all here," Maria answered, "but first, please tell me you're all right."
Michael looked away and said in a toneless voice, "I'm fine."
"You are not!" she burst out. "You look horrible."
His mouth twisted and he replied coldly, "It's Halloween, isn't it? See my costume--I'm a human."
Not liking the direction this was taking, Max took charge. "Calm down," he commanded. "We have a lot to talk about, and everyone needs to act rationally here if we're going to accomplish anything." He looked around. "Any arguments?" No one spoke. "Okay, this is how it's going to play out. Michael, you will reassure Maria about your health, and she will tell you what's been going on. Then we will talk about your little stalking project. Anything else we need to discuss will come after that. Got it?" Again, no dissension, although Michael's jaw clenched. Max turned to his oldest friend. "She's right, Michael. You look like hell. Have you gotten any sleep since Saturday night?"
The answer was controlled. "No."
"Then after this, I'm taking you home so you can get some rest. If you can't fall asleep on your own, I can--"
"No. And I'm fine. Are you done now? Can we move on?," he said, meeting Maria's eyes once more.
Alex spoke up. "Hey, if you'd gotten here with the rest of them, you'd already know what's going on. The early bird gets the information, buddy. What kept you so long, anyway?"
The alien began to fold his arms over his chest, then stopped with a jerk and let them drop back down to rest at his sides. "Nothing." He turned to Max. "You said to come. I came. So get on with it. I don't have all night."
"Michael!" Isabel chided.
Maria, who'd been watching with narrowed eyes, interrupted. "No. He's right. Don't push him."
"I really don't think--"
"It's all right. He kept his end of the bargain--he says he's fine. So we need to keep ours. Go ahead and tell him, Max. We're not keeping secrets any more, remember?"
Max looked around at his sister and friends. Maria gave him a deliberate nod, and he began to tell Michael about the notes Maria had received. It didn't take very long, and throughout the telling, Michael, who was getting visibly more tense with each minute, kept his gaze fixed resolutely on Max. Maria kept hers on Michael.
"...and I tried to get a vision from it, but it didn't work very well," Max wound up.
"You mean, you saw something that couldn't have happened," Alex added.
Michael turned to the other alien. "Why? What did you see?"
Max looked ill at ease, and Alex spoke quickly, trying to send a signal to Michael. If he could just prod the taciturn alien enough to make him come clean about it..."He saw the artist, and guess who it was?"
"It doesn't matter," Max claimed. "It can't have been real, anyway."
"Why don't you try it, Michael?" suggested Liz. "You've had the best success at getting visions in the past. Or if you can't get something from the sketch, maybe you'll pick up something from one of the other notes. Anything to help us figure out who's sending them, and what they want."
"He can't," objected Maria. "No powers, remember?" She locked gazes with Michael, who shifted uncomfortably before tearing his eyes away from her.
Indignant, Isabel spoke. "That's not his fault, Maria."
"Oh, I know that. Don't go all mother bear on me, Isabel." Maria's tone was casual. "Michael can take care of himself. Heck, he's even taking care of me, isn't he?"
"Which would be easier to do if you had told us about this stuff sooner," Michael lectured tautly.
"What, you're complaining that I'm keeping things from you?" Maria cried incredulously. "This from Mr. 'I'm Going To Lurk In The Shadows And Not Tell Anybody What's Going On'?"
"You should have told Max and Isabel at least, even if you couldn't trust me."
Maria's jaw dropped in shock. "Couldn't trust you? Who said anything about not trusting you?"
In an attempt to defuse the situation, Liz interrupted. "Let's get back to the matter at hand, okay? Since what Max saw was wrong, and Isabel and Michael didn't have any luck, it looks like visions aren't the way to go. We could use another plan."
"We don't need it," said Michael abruptly. "I can tell you what Max saw, and it wasn't wrong. He saw me, didn't he? So I must be the one causing the problems." His voice grew bitter. "Max wasn't wrong. Don't you know by now? Max is never wrong." Thrusting back his chair as he stood, he crossed to the counter and leaned on it, his back towards them.
Maria followed. She spoke to his back, carefully not touching him. "He is wrong, Michael. He may have seen you drawing the sketch, but the vision was misleading. He could only see your actions, not your intent. You aren't the one making the threats. I know you, Michael, and I don't believe it."
From his seat in the corner of the booth, Alex spoke. "Look, I know I made you a promise, but I'm sorry, I think I have to break it. So if you don't want me to, you'd better speak up now." Michael remained silent, his back still turned.
Alex took a deep breath, then spoke to the other four. "Okay, this is what happened. Michael did draw the sketch." Putting up a hand to halt Maria's incipient protest, he continued, "But the sketch you have now isn't the one from your locker. He replaced that one so he could keep it and try and get a vision from it. When you dropped it at lunch that day and he picked it up, he got a feeling of danger, but he couldn't tell what or how, so he kept it to try and get more information. No luck there, but he's been keeping an eye on you ever since. Well, with my help."
Maria swung back around to face the alien at the counter, noticing the set tenseness of his shoulders, as if awaiting a blow. She supposed she should feel angry with him, for keeping this all a secret in the first place. It was what he was expecting, she knew. But somehow she couldn't. She took a step closer towards him, noting him stiffen perceptibly, and spoke simply. "Thank you, Michael." Turning away, she missed his slight relaxation as she calmly moved back to the booth, sitting once more. Alex, beside her in the booth, looked at her with surprise and pride.
"Pretty cool move, DeLuca," he said under his breath, just loud enough for her to hear. She gave him a careless shrug.
"Hey, no big," she responded with a smile.
Max, sitting back in the booth, let out a breath of air and relaxed for the first time since he'd had the vision of Michael with the sketch. He should have had more faith in Michael. Maria had, why hadn't he? Looking up, he saw Liz gazing warmly at him, as if she could tell what he was thinking. She gave him a reassuring smile, and he began to feel like maybe things weren't all that hopeless after all. To hide his almost elated rush of feeling, he looked down at the notes, which Maria had tossed onto the table. "If this isn't the real sketch, maybe the right one will tell us something. Where is it, Michael?"
There was no response, and he turned to look at his friend, who hadn't moved since he'd gotten to the counter. Michael's head was slightly tilted as if his attention were focused elsewhere, but all Max could see beyond him was the pass-through to the kitchen, and nothing looked unusual there. Puzzled, he called out again. "Michael?"
It took a moment for him to be heard, but then Michael turned with a jerk and brought his attention back to the group. "Yeah?"
"Where is the other sketch?"
Fumbling in his pocket, the alien pulled out a folded piece of paper, slightly the worse for wear. Max unfolded it and compared the two sketches.
"Wow," said Isabel, who was looking over his shoulder. "It's a very good copy, Michael." Michael shrugged it off. "Except I think yours looks a little more like Maria."
"Let me see," the sketch's subject demanded, taking both drawings and studying them carefully. Satisfied, she refolded the one Michael had drawn and got up from the booth.
"Where are you going?" asked Liz as the girl moved past her.
"To the break room to put this in my bag," Maria responded calmly.
Michael watched her, a confused expression on his face. "Why?"
"You drew it, so I'm keeping it."
He managed to get one word out. "But--"
"Hey, if you don't like it, draw me another one. Without a giant X scrawled across my face. Until then, this one's mine," she answered lightheartedly. Swinging the door to the break room open, she froze, startled, as she heard a voice from upstairs.
"Liz? Are you still down here?" Nancy Parker called as she descended the staircase.
Recovering, Maria greeted her. "Oh, hi, Mrs. Parker. Sorry, everybody's in there. Our ride came and we got to talking. I just came in to change out of my uniform, and we'll go." The woman passed into the restaurant proper, and Maria began to fumble hurriedly with the buttons on her uniform, keeping a careful ear on the conversation in the next room.
"Hi mom," said Liz, just barely avoiding sounding guilty. "We--"
Max, who had stood at the woman's entrance, spoke quickly. "Hello, Mrs. Parker. We were just leaving."
"Hello, Max. And Isabel." Nancy turned and studied the third member of the alien trio, who was still standing by the counter. "And Michael. It's been a while since we've seen you here." He ducked his head and studied the floor at his feet. "You should try to come in a little more often," she added kindly. "Just because you don't work here any more is no reason to be a stranger." Looking up to see the gentle expression in her eyes, Michael swallowed and gave a quick nod. Liz's mother smiled at him and then turned to the others. "So, the three of you came by to give Maria and Alex a ride?"
"Actually," said Maria as she entered, dressed in street clothes, "Max and Isabel are taking Alex, and Michael is walking me home." She fixed her eyes on Michael, challenging him to contradict her in front of Mrs. Parker. He looked like he wanted to protest, but shoved his hands in his pockets and remained mute.
Mrs. Parker eyed them both with interest, then said, "It's pretty late, and there may still be Halloween pranksters running around. Why don't you give Liz a call when you get home, so we'll know you got in all right?"
In concern, Maria noted the slight drooping of Michael's shoulders as he looked down at the floor once more. She could tell what he was thinking, that Liz's mother didn't trust him with her. A tiny spark of indignation began to glow deep within her. Why, what did the woman think he would do? Michael, of all people, who'd gone out of his way to watch out for her. Michael, who--
That spark of indignation flickered away as Nancy continued, "That goes for all of you, as a matter of fact. I expect Liz to get four phone calls in the very near future, telling us you're all home safe, all right?"
Four voices rose in assent. Even Michael, caught in Mrs. Parker's firm gaze, nodded. Maria looked over to the table.
"Don't worry, I've got those project notes we were working on," said Alex, holding up several folded pieces of paper.
"Good. I've got the other materials in my bookbag," she said, gesturing to where she'd thrust the pieces of alien doll from the couch.
"So we'll continue working on the project tomorrow?" Liz asked, and they nodded back at her.
"Yeah, we'll see you then," Maria said, and then started for the break room and the back door. "Good night, Mrs. Parker. Coming, Michael?"
Wordlessly, he followed in her wake. Saying their good nights, the other three left the restaurant as well. Outside, they headed towards the Evanses' Jeep, which was parked in the alley. "Hop in, we'll give you a lift," Isabel offered.
"That's all right. I feel like walking. After tonight, I could use some fresh air," said Maria calmly. "Besides, now that my stalker here is out in the open, he can walk me home and protect me at the same time."
Max studied her dubiously, then commented with a shake of his head, "We're not done discussing this. We still have a lot talk about."
"I know," said Maria. "I've got rehearsal tomorrow, and I think Liz is on for a few hours in the Crashdown. How about if everyone comes over to my house for dinner? My mom had plans to meet some friends, so the house will be empty."
"Dinner? Are you actually going to make dinner?" asked Alex in alarm. "There's a reason you're a waitress and not a cook, you know."
"So we'll order pizza or something," she shot back. "The point is, we'll be able to talk without interruption."
"It sounds good to me," said Max. Isabel nodded her agreement.
Maria turned to Michael. "What about you? Do you have to work? Can you be at my place at 6:00?"
"Yeah."
"Okay then, six it is. I'll tell Liz," Maria decided. She smiled at Isabel, Max and Alex as they climbed into the Jeep. "I'm glad you all know," she said. "It feels better to have you in on this."
"We needed to be," pointed out Isabel. "The six of us work best as a team."
"You're right about that. See you tomorrow." Maria watched as the Jeep pulled out of the alley, and then turned to the silent alien who stood nearby. "Come on. Let's get me home."
Together they began the walk across town to the DeLuca residence. Maria gave an occasional glance up at Michael, who looked as if he were miles away in thought. She didn't feel the urge to pull him back; somehow just walking next to him was enough for now. So they continued silently down the streets, passing the occasional dog-walker and late-night Halloween partier. Arriving at her house, she unlocked the back door and then turned to look up at Michael. "Good night," she said warmly. He stood looking back down at her, and didn't move. "What?" she asked with a laugh.
"Aren't you..." he began, "Aren't you going to get on my case?"
"For what?"
"For everything. Not telling you about the note, for watching you all the time, for...everything."
Maria studied his carefully controlled expression and took note of a hint of pain lurking in his eyes. "Nope. Not tonight, anyway." She smiled at him. "Look, I'm home safe, things are fine. Will you please go back to your place and get some rest? No hanging around at all hours of the night, waiting for some unknown threat to appear." His mouth worked, but he didn't answer, and she went on, "Look, I won't be able to sleep if I know you're hanging around, and I will know, remember? You need to get some sleep, too. I'll be fine, I promise."
He hesitated for a moment and then commanded gruffly, "Latch your window." She nodded.
"I will." With one last look up at him, she stepped inside and locked the door behind her. She watched as he looked around suspiciously and then headed around the house towards the front sidewalk.
A noise behind her made her jump, and she turned around her heart pounding. It was only her mother, standing by the refrigerator.
"Oh...hi, Mom," she exclaimed.
"Hi honey," Amy returned. "Late night at work?"
"Ummm, yeah," Maria responded absently. "So, did you get a lot of trick-or-treaters?"
Her mother smiled. "Not too many. There's still a stash of chocolate left over for you." She went back to pouring herself a cup of herbal tea.
"Oh, good." Maria set her bag down on the counter and fidgeted for a moment. "Mom?"
"Hmmm?"
"Are you still going out tomorrow night?"
"I'm planning on it."
"Well, is it all right if I have some friends over for dinner?"
"What friends? How many?" Amy asked.
"Oh, just a few. Liz, and Isabel and Max Evans, and Alex." Her voice faded, and she mumbled, "Oh, and Michael."
Amy raised her eyebrows in surprise, and looked past Maria to the back door. "Michael, huh?"
Maria met her eyes, answering defensively, "Yeah."
Studying the importuning expression on her daughter's face, Amy agreed. "I suppose it's all right. But don't keep them here too late; it's a school night."
"I won't," Maria assured her. "They'll probably be gone before you get back, anyway."
"Sure then. Have a good time."
"Thanks, mom," Maria said in relief. "Well, I have a little more homework to do, so I guess I'll go do it. Good night." She picked up her bookbag and headed towards her room, shutting the door behind her. Tossing her bag on her bed, she moved purposefully towards the window and opened it, hissing, "Michael! I told you to go home!"
A figure detached itself from the shadows. "I know. I just wanted to make sure you latched your window."
"Oh. Okay," she responded. "And then you'll go home and try to get some sleep?"
"Yeah, then I'll go home," he promised.
"Good night, then." She gently closed the window and turned the latch, locking it in place as he watched carefully. He didn't move away from the house, and she unlatched the window before opening it for a second time. "What is it Michael?" she asked, intently studying his worn face. "Was there something else you wanted to tell me?"
For a moment, he looked like he was going to say something, but he bit back the words and looked away, shaking his head roughly.
Disappointed, Maria sighed, "Okay, then. Goodnight." A moment later she was once more safely locked in. Putting a palm against the glass, she leaned close to the window, and said softly, "Pleasant dreams."
His mouth twisted in a quick grimace that was gone before she was sure she'd seen it, and then, surprisingly, he put a hand up to hers, with only the windowpane separating them. "Yeah, you too," he responded, then turned and disappeared into the night. She watched him go, and then slowly picked up the phone to call Liz.
TBC...