Part 3 - Commensurable

Part 3 - Commensurable

"YOU DID WHAT?" Isabel yelled, tears falling down her face.

"She was going to die." Max said his head in his hands.

"AND YOU LET HIM!" Isabel turned to glare at Michael who was in the corner deep in thought.

"She was going to die Iz." Max repeated into his hands.

"DON'T YOU DARE IZ ME!" She screamed in hysterics.

"They won't say anything." Max said firmly. Standing he continued more shakily though. "I'll explain to Liz, tell her everything… she'll tell Maria and Alex, if we then think they'll say anything we'll leave."

"We should go now, explain nothing." Michael said sternly.

"Leave mum and dad." Isabel said sobbing softly. "No Michael I couldn't, you couldn't."

"Please, trust me." Max said touching Isabel's shoulder and looking into Michael's eyes. "It will be okay."

*~*~*

Max went to school alone on Wednesday. Isabel hadn't slept at all the previous night and Michael had decided to stay at home and look after her. Patting Max on the back as he left Michael said. "We'll see Maximillion, we'll see."

*~*~*

The day went remarkable fast for Michael, and it didn't help that half the girls in school rang him up to check that he was okay, with Courtney ringing at least once every hour. Max would be home in five minutes, he would have told Liz by now. The front door clicked open and Isabel on hearing it raced down the stairs. "Well?" she asked nervously.

Sitting down Max looked drained. "I don't know."

"What? You didn't tell her…"

"No, I told her, I just don't know if her reaction was good or bad. She was surprised, of course, seemed a little nervous around me, told me she'd tell Alex and Maria after school, I just, I think we're okay, we just have to wait I guess."

"Wait." Isabel repeated sitting down. "Wait until the FBI come you mean." She finished bitterly.

"No Iz." Max said gently sitting down next to his sister. "I trust her."

"No Max, you love her, and you're blinded by it." Michael said angrily. Turning he started up the stairs. "This is not only your decision to make Maxwell, you've put our lives in danger…"

Michael regretted saying the words as soon as they had left his mouth, but saying nothing else to the silent pair he left the room.

Michael lay on his king-size bed and sighed. "God I hope you're right Max." He breathed. He didn't want to leave. He didn't want *her*, them, to be disguised and scared by *him*, them.

Noticing *her* sheet on his desk he took it over to his huge couch on the other side of the room. Turning on the radio he looked at her answers.

One answer stood out from the rest and gave him his hope:

Question 20: What do you think aliens would look like?

Maria's answer was – 'I'm not sure, but I guess I would have to say that anything that came from the stars would have to be beautiful.'

*Beautiful*. The word repeated in his head as he highlighted the question and answer with a pen. Getting up from his couch Michael walked the long way down the hall to Isabel's room.

Sighing he slid the sheet under the door. The door opened suddenly – Max stood there and looked down at the paper. "So you've decided to leave." Max said softly. "Is your trust that bad?" he questioned sadly.

"No my trust is as it ever was, my hope has changed however." He smiled slightly. Walking past Max into the room he sat on the edge of Isabel's bed. Isabel who had been in her bathroom came out and asked a silent question. "I thought you might like to raise your hope too." Michael smiled walking over to her.

Brushing her tears from her cheeks he then handed her Maria's answer sheet.

*~*~*

"We're home!" they heard their father call from downstairs, "And we seem to have brought home more then we left with."

Looking at the clock Michael saw it was around 9 o'clock. Shifting he woke Isabel who had fallen asleep on his lap. Max who had been sitting at Isabel's desk chair stood suddenly. "Oh God it's them."

All standing quickly they took long heavy breaths as they gathered their wits and headed down stairs.

Coming into the kitchen the three were stunned to see Maria and Alex in the middle of a conversation with their parents. "So you lived in Santa Fe Maria before coming here."

"Yes Mrs Evans."

"Please, call me Diane honey." The three were amazed their mother usually never liked their friends, she would always go on about not understanding why they choose to be around such 'boring superficial people'.

"Maria and Alex just told us the funniest story. What a shame you guys have to finish that school project tonight. We could have all chatted. All well, some other time, Phillip and I are going to have an early night, goodnight you three, and it was lovely meeting you both."

"Thank you." "Likewise." Maria and Alex said together, intimidated by the appearance of the other three that had suddenly entered the room.

Mr Evans merely nodded and then glancing wickedly at Maria turned to Michael and said, "Yes, school projects come in handy don't they?" Happy with the reaction he got from his spiky haired son who had had his gaze solidly on the little blonde he finished with, "'night all." And left the room quickly.

"Would you like a drink?" "Would you like to sit?" The human pair received from Max and Isabel as soon as their parents had left the room.

"Um, yeah." Alex said sitting down. "I drink would be good."

"Um thanks." Maria replied as one was shoved into her hand.

"So um…" Max started, "Is there anything you both would like to ask?" He had been so concerned with Liz's reaction he had totally forgotten about these two.

"No um, Liz told us everything you told her." Alex said calmly placing his emptied glass down.

"So, what um–"

"We wanted to thank you." Maria said suddenly standing. Searching through her bag she breathed in deep. "We know there isn't anything that would equal what you did Max, but we know you put your lives in danger saving her." Pulling files from her bag Maria handed them to Max. "This is um, a thank you."

"A thank you." Max repeated in shock, whatever each of the aliens had thought she was going to say it certainly hadn't been that.

"Liz told us you didn't know about your origins, but we figured Sheriff Valenti would have something, it was a long shot, but we didn't have anything besides our word that we would keep your secret." Alex said unsure by their silence. "So after school we broke into Valenti's office and photocopied his file marked, 'Roswell '47 Material' It might be nothing, but like Maria said we badly wanted to do something for you, to um, thank you and um…"

"We thought about what we would want if we were you and well to find out who we were was a start." Maria finished for Alex. Grabbing her bag Maria clasped Alex's hand securely, "We should probably go, we just wanted to tell you if there was anything we could do for you, um just ask."

"Just your word." Isabel said softly.

"You have it." Maria and Alex replied simultaneously.

"And Liz's?" Max asked concerned by the sudden fact she wasn't here.

"She gave it to you Max the moment you left her at school. Liz isn't here now because the couple in the diner told Valenti she was shot, which she was but um, Valenti called her in for questioning she handle it though." Alex said reassuringly.

"Valenti thinks the couple are just UFO nuts trying to stir a media frenzy, she just needed to do some paper work for him tonight, you know refuting there statements." Maria glanced at Michael who hadn't said a word; "You can trust us I swear, you have my word."

Nodding Michael smiled slightly at her. He was amazed by *her*, their reaction, as they all were, including the humans to a certain degree – acceptance felt right.

*~*~*

Studying the files took the three most of the night, and when completed they found only one photograph of any use. There had been articles and phoney statements, but this black and white photograph taken in 1953 held something, it didn't matter that they didn't know exactly what it was that it held.

The photograph seemed to be of a rock surface, they didn't know if it was a cave or just a huge boulder, that was unimportant, what was interesting was that they all seemed to recognise the symbols on the surface. The symbols seemed to have been imprinted into the rock and even though they didn't know what they meant they were incredibly familiar. On the back of the photograph it merely said 'Roswell. Taken '53. Not Native American Art, unable to date'

"Roswell, so that means, these symbols are somewhere around here." Max said shoving the last piece of pizza into his mouth, and still glowing from the acceptance of the three humans.

"Probably in the desert somewhere…" Michael contributed.

"Maybe Maria and the others might know." Isabel offered. She had been given a taste of friendship, and had liked it enormously.

Standing Max walked over to Isabel's window and sighed softly. "I didn't want them to feel obligated." He stated. "They owe us nothing, silence is enough."

"And friendship a bonus." Isabel said softly. "Max, please, were not using them, just getting to know them better." Isabel's mind was buzzing with the possibilities, all three infact were equally occupied. "I would have thought you out of all of us would now be wanting to know them better."

"Slowly Isabel." Max said, "Let's not push, it might not be a good thing to do, um letting them in and besides after years of never letting anyone in, we can't expect to turn around tomorrow and be best friends." Deep down he knew though that resistance from the alien side for friendship wouldn't be happening.

"I know, and who's to say they want us to be friends with them anyway…" Isabel trailed off. Michael remained silent.

*~*~*

Max's mind was buzzing, Liz knew the secret, she hadn't been scared, had defended him, them to Valenti. It was Thursday morning and Max was hyped from the resent events and the anticipation of the afternoon game. He really hoped Liz would be there.

Michael watched his brother twitch in nervous anticipation for the day's outcome and grinned, Max was such a dickhead sometimes. However, here was Michael in the middle of English concentrating on the door, hoping he was right about who was in this class.

The bell sounded and two girls pushed there way inside. One very annoying Courtney Banks, and one very confusing Maria Guerin. Michael grinned, he had thought she was in this class.

"Sit down ladies." The gruff Mrs Dean spat as she turned to the board to write up the lesson.

Courtney sat next to Michael, and Maria took the sit before him. Michael must have been grinning because Max moved his table over a little to whisper, "Down boy, it was the only free chair…"

Michael returned a glare towards his annoyance that was his brother Max, and went back to entertaining his previous thought.

The boy next to Maria edged his chair and table closer to the wary blonde and Michael couldn't contain his irritation. "Troy how's your girlfriend Nina?"

Troy immediately pushed his chair back to resume his previous position and Maria smiled sweet as honey at the embarrassed boy. "Fine." The boy answered Michael, the frustration clear upon his face.

Maria's hair had begun to come out of the roll she had hurriedly placed it in that morning and so she started to untie it so she could fix it up again. Running her hands through her hair and along her neck slowly she knew she had a captive audience in the boy behind her.

Michael's breathing had sporadically gone from fast to slow through the entire event and while Max was clearly amused at how Maria was putting his brother through the same torture he had been subject to all year from Liz, Courtney's infuriation was deepening.

Michael unconsciously brought his table forward slightly and at the first possible opportunity said gutturally. "There has been complaints from Humane Hair Groups, objecting to the torture you are inflicting on uncommunicative subjects."

Maria smiled at his nerve and edged her sit back, softly whispering, "That's untrue, the subject I was torturing is very communicative."

Michael's complexion heightened at her words, and Courtney, who hadn't heard a word marked her disapproval with a loud aggravated snide comment directed towards Maria. "So how are you settling in Guerin, your trailer roomy enough?"

Michael's anger was marked by his concerned glances towards the girl unable to raise her eyes, while Mrs Dean's aggravation was more clearly marked and that Courtney noticed, making her immediately regret her comment. "Banks… you just volunteered to start off today's discussion about Hareton Earnshaw, the character we will be examining in detail today."

Courtney splattered and stuttered, but not a word would past her lips, not only hadn't she read Wuthering Heights, the mentioned text, but had just noticed the focus Michael had on Maria.

Seeing Michael not paying attention Mrs Dean directed the question at him. "Hareton, is the opposite to his surroundings I believe. Incredibly compassionate and moral, as opposed to the forces which act upon him ~ the malicious Heathcliff, the harsh environment, the cruel people in his life… He's strong, brave and if there could be a conventional hero in the novel, he would be it." The alien boy answered.

Maria raised her head; puzzled to know where to look she spoke shakily. "That's why he matches Cathy Linton so well. She is the restless heroine, both full of life they express it differently, but compliment each other by acting true to their hearts."

Tbc…