***
"You've been pretty quiet," Michael commented as he rummaged through his bag. He stood at the end of the bed, while Maria sat along the side, dangling her legs off the edge.
"Still shaken up, I guess."
Michael looked at her for a moment before shuffling through his bag again. He had found what he was looking for already but continued absentmindedly sifting for lack of better actions. He felt awkward around her, because she was acting differently, almost as if she could sense what he was thinking. He didn't want her to know what he was thinking, because what ran through his mind scared even himself.
"Is that all that's wrong?"
"It's all right, Michael. You wouldn't want to hear it anyway."
He clutched the cardboard box in his left hand as he sauntered over to her. The sound of rain filled the quiet room as the first wave of drops began to shower down to the dusty ground outside. He stretched out his arm and opened his hand, displaying his offer to her. A box of animal crackers. She smiled in amazement, his action tipping her already emotion-crazed state over the top and forcing her into tears.
"I, uh, remembered how you grabbed these when all we had to eat was a bunch of vending machine junk."
"On our way to Marathon. I can't believe you remembered."
"I did." He sat down beside her. "Tell me what's wrong."
"Everything."
"Start with something, then."
She turned her entire body so that she was facing him. "I abandoned my mom, Michael. I just up and left her like my father did to us."
"She knows why. She knows you didn't abandon her. You *didn't* abandon her, Maria. You didn't."
"Why does it feel like I did then?"
"Because…."
"Yeah. That's what I thought." Maria's green eyes flooded over once again, and Michael looked away before starting again.
"You left because of me. So if it's anyone's fault, it's mine."
Maria could only shake her head. She pressed her fingers into her cheeks in frustration, angrily wiping the endless teardrops away. "Look at us," she spat and almost laughed. "Blaming ourselves for something we couldn't control."
Michael gazed down at the worn brown carpet. Down at his boots. He chose not to respond.
"Michael, I just want you to understand that I love you. Sometimes, I don't think you really get it."
"I get it," he mumbled quietly, almost dejectedly. He had tried to respond in a heartfelt manner, but it came out exactly how it felt. Maria was confused. Maria was stuck with him. He silently reached for her. "Let's just get some sleep, okay?"
They kicked off their shoes and crawled beneath the covers, never once letting go of each other. They closed their eyes. Maria cried for a little while, muffling the sound by burying her face in Michael's chest. He felt her tears seep through the black of his t-shirt and into his skin. The thought clouded his own eyes with watery haze. And again, he was reminded of how stupid he was for thinking that this might have worked.
Half an hour passed and Maria was on the verge of sleep. Before dropping off completely, she whispered, "Don't ever leave me, Michael."
He tightened his grasp, as if afraid she would dissolve into the bed and forever away from him if he didn't hold on for dear life. "I won't. You're gonna leave me," he uttered, almost inaudibly.
***
Max stared at the digital clock beside the bed, where he lay flat on his back. It read 11:43. He looked back to Liz, who was brushing her hair out in front of the mirror.
"Max, I saw it. Well, I didn't *see* it. But I saw Michael standing there. And then I actually heard gunshots."
"But you didn't see Michael get shot?"
"No. But I saw him. Only him. And then I couldn't see anything at all. But I know I heard Michael screaming."
Max sat up and pushed himself off of the bed quietly. As he strode over to Liz, he saw a branch of lightning illuminate the night through the curtains of their hotel room. He stepped up behind the chair she was seated on and began rubbing her shoulders as she continued talking.
"I don't know if that was supposed to happen today and something changed or … maybe it's still to come."
"There's no way of knowing unless you see something else, Liz."
"It's just … this whole seeing-the-future thing. It's more frustrating than anything else. I can't really understand it."
"I'm sorry."
Liz shook her head as she smiled and turned to look up at him. "Don't be." She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her head tightly against his midsection while she remained seated. She could feel his hands running through her hair.
"I know I'm not in a position to promise you anything, Liz. But I can promise you that I'll spend every breath trying to find a way to make our lives normal again."
"As long as I have you here with me, I don't need normal."
They remained joined like this for long moments afterward, and as it often did for the star-crossed couple, time seemed to delay itself to allow them the serenity of each other – locked in a tender embrace.
In the room to the left of them slept Isabel, with Kyle on the floor. The room on the right, Maria and Michael were lost in tormented slumber, living a tangled nightmare. But right there, there in the middle stood Max and Liz, awake and aware.
But like all other things, the time came for them to break apart. "Ready for bed, Mrs. Parker. Or is it Mrs. Evans?" Max laughed. "You know, I can't believe we never talked about it."
Liz giggled. She couldn't believe it either, and in her diary she had been absentmindedly signing Parker due to habit. She silently wondered why, for the fact that she was Max Evans' wife had never escaped her mind. She chalked it up to subconsciously holding onto the last little bit of familiarity that she could. Her family name. The family that she had left and missed so much every day.
Liz walked over to the bed and slid in beside Max. But as she reached for the light, she looked directly into his adorable eyes and knew what she wanted. "It's Mrs. Evans," she stated simply before switching the lamp off and snuggling beneath the blanket. Max smiled into the newborn darkness before too sliding down into bed beside his wife.
***
Maria bolted straight up in the bed, finding it difficult to breathe with the ravaged images flooding her brain. She leaned over Michael, fumbling around for the lamp switch. Her fingers blindly felt around beneath the shade and finally fell across the hard knob. She turned it and light flooded the room as she struggled to catch her breath. Looking down to Michael, she immediately knew that she had been in his nightmare again. They had connected again. Sometimes, back in Roswell, it would happen. Maria would be leaning against Michael while he slept, and the flashes would come because they were touching each other. It was one of the rare times when Michael's guard was down.
This nightmare was vivid and harsh and almost real; she saw everything as Michael saw it. It was the same nightmare. Maria inside the little glass cube that filled with water. Michael stuck on the outside.
She watched his tense figure for a moment longer before shaking him awake. His eyes snapped open and darted around the room bewildered for several seconds before he focused on Maria's apprehensive face staring down at him. "What? What's wrong?" he asked, concerned, as he raised himself up on his elbows.
"I saw your nightmare again. And I'm not going to let you get by without an explanation again, Michael."
He sighed heavily as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Maria. It's nothing. Just a stupid dream."
"The same one as last night. I was in it, Michael."
He swung his legs off the bed and stood up. Without noticing what he was doing, he began to pace back and forth the length of the bed.
"I'm not shutting up until you tell me about it."
"If you saw it, then what do you need explained?"
"I- I felt what you felt. It was … it was terrifying."
Michael stopped pacing long enough to gaze at her with a bittersweet smirk. "Drop it. I mean it." He strode into the bathroom, and Maria heard the sink turn on. A full minute passed before he emerged, patting his face dry with a hand towel.
"I'm not going to drop it, Michael," Maria ventured, already sensing his intensifying agitation. "If I saw your dream, and I felt it, then why can't we talk about it?"
"Because there's nothing to talk about."
"There's plenty to talk about, pal."
"Maria," he said as a warning, glaring at her. She got up and kneeled in the center of the bed, determined.
"This is important, Michael. Why can't you just be open with me?"
He practically lunged forward, causing Maria to flinch. He stopped directly in front of her, and their faces were mere inches away from each other. "You dreamed MY dream. It doesn't get much more open than that," he spat through gritted teeth.
"Michael," she said quietly, beseechingly, and Michael felt his insides begin to melt. He stared another solid moment before closing his eyes and sighing as he stepped back.
"All right. All right, damn it. You want to know? Fine. That dream is the same one I've had over and over for three years. You remember the soap factory? You remember that party way back when we first started getting close? I had that dream for the first time the night before I broke it off with you there in that warehouse."
Maria stared intently, becoming more and more amazed. In all the time that had passed, she had never once believed he had cared for her so much back then. But ever since he told her that she was the girl for him and that he knew it since their road trip fiasco to Marathon, he had continued to shock her.
"I can't stop it, Maria. It's a nightmare, and it scares me more every time I dream it. It's the same every damn time. You're stuck in that stupid box, and I can see you. But I can't get to you."
Michael was waving his arms in gestures, the blank look on his face was betrayed by his tight lips that she knew were threatening to tremble as he spoke.
"I can't help you…. You're in danger, and I can't help you," he almost whispered, his voice catching. "The stupid thing went away for a while, but ever since we left Roswell, it's back. And … and it's making me realize what I knew back then. What I should have believed all along."
"What?" Maria asked, fearing his answer because she already knew what it was.
"You and I can't work."
"Don't say that."
When her voice quivered and he saw the tears come again, he closed his eyes and felt his chest crumble. "I'm sorry. Do you hear me, Maria? I am so sorry. I love you more than anything or anyone, okay? I love you, but don't you realize that it will never be enough for our situation? I mean, can't you see that?" Michael stared at her for a moment, half-expecting an answer. He collapsed onto the bed, burying his disheveled head of spikes in his trembling hands.
"How … how…" Maria was speechless, but she continued trying to find the words that were trapped inside her shaking body. "I … don't understand. I left for you," she half-whispered, half-sobbed.
"And I stayed for you. But even that can't save us…. You can't stay here anymore. I had my doubts in the beginning, but after today, I know it was all just a huge mistake. I'm going to figure out a way. Find a place for you to be safe. This won't work anymore."
"Don't you think this should be my decision?" she shouted, suddenly finding her voice and causing Michael to cringe at her anger.
"I will not go through another stint like today. I … don't think…. No. I *know* I wouldn't be able to go on if something happened to you. This is for your own safety, Maria. Please. You want to live, don't you?"
"This is not about my safety. It's about your peace of mind!"
Rain was now slamming against the window full force. Wind howled as it rustled crazily through the leaved tree branches. Thunder clapped every other minute.
"I can't see you get hurt."
"What? Emotions don't count? Look at what you're doing now, buddy."
"You're in danger here with me. I'm sorry, Maria. I just can't do this anymore."
"So you're giving me up … again? After everything?"
"You know it's not like that. I will never forgive myself for messing your life up as bad as I have. But, even if it's the last thing I do, I'm going to damn well make things right."
"You thick-skulled moron!" she hollered through blurry eyes. "You'll never understand what you're doing to me, will you? You'll never understand how much I love you?"
"I know that you want to help me. I've known that from the beginning. But I'm begging you, for all that you think I mean to you, Maria DeLuca, stay out of this. I can't live with you living with my problem. Honest to gawd, I can't…."
Maria's insides were trembling, and she felt like she was on a roller coaster that never ended. Her chest ached and she was sure her heart was in permanent knots. She couldn't think of anything to say, and so she just sat there, her body trying to recover from every sob that escaped. Michael's body cringed in despair every time he heard her cry out, unable to stop herself. The tears rolled freely from his sorrowed eyes. Maria remembered everything, allowing the images to roll freely in her mind.
….The first kiss in the Crashdown. The concern when he lay unconscious in the room above the restaurant. The fear that she would lose him in the desert. The devotion in the cave. The relief when he woke up. The stirring hope and poignant affection from his napkin holder project. She remembered it all. The devastation of him admitting that he loved her and then leaving her. All the bantering. All the joyrides and hell trips in the jetta. The time he let her get the flashes. The moments when she watched him sleep peacefully. The times when he laughed without worry, and the warmth his rare smile ignited in her chest….
She opened her eyes and the tears that had clung to her eyelids splashed down to her hands. She gulped, stunned, when she saw the green static had returned, hovering all about her fingers and the back and front of her palms. It tingled but it didn't hurt. Michael hadn't moved from the edge of the bed, his head still cradled in his hands. She watched his back shake ever so slightly, and she could tell he was holding in sobs, afraid of letting her see him cry so harshly.
"Maybe I should have listened when you said to drop it, huh?" she said bitterly.
"I just wanted more time," he spoke without moving. "To be with you a little longer and still pretend that we could be happy."
"Funny how Max and Liz are happy and in the same situation."
"It's totally different. I'm not Max. I can't let my problems consume your life. And you're not Liz. Your dreams are too big."
"Liz had dreams too. But she found something she wanted more."
"She's always been willing. Straight from the beginning."
"And she's always known that she had a reason to stick with all this madness. She knew Max loved her and he admitted it. I had you. Pushing me away every single chance you could. I think I've been just as loyal considering the situation."
"Well, I'd apologize for all of that, but it wouldn't make you feel any different. The point is, Max can live with himself. I can't. Not when you're constantly in danger because of me. And Liz…. She loves him. They're happy. And even if they weren't, Liz is different now."
"She's one of you, is that it?"
"If that's how you want to put it. Max healed her, and she's got things happening to her that she can't control. She needs to be here."
"And I don't," Maria stated simply, staring down at the glowing energy bolts around her hands. She gazed at them; they looked like miniature streaks of lightning.
"Please, Maria. I don't know how else to say this. It makes me physically sick whenever I so much as think about what could happen to you. You still have a chance to make a life somewhere for yourself. And if you're not thinking straight, I'll do it for you." His tone was weary. "I would never leave you, but you need to leave. Get away from me and my problem."
She realized she couldn't argue with him anymore. He truly couldn't live with himself for putting her in danger, and deep inside her, in the very core of her soul, she recognized this as the purest, most giving love ever attainable. Yes, deep down, she knew that she was loved by Michael Guerin more than she could have ever imagined, let alone hope for. He couldn't bare to see her hurt, and so he was going to give her up to save her life.
"I love you, Michael," she whispered as she crawled off the bed. Michael stood as she walked over to him. He could only stare at the ground, knowing he would break down again if he looked at her. But she asked in a hushed voice for him to look her in the eye, and he could not refuse her. And so he raised his head and opened his eyes to her pale, wet face and glimmering green eyes. And his eyes filled with water.
It reminded her much of the night he had come to her bedroom in the rain, sobbing. His eyes were searching and flooded and slightly squinted. His face was so full of pain, and she felt a pit in her stomach expand before plummeting. No hope remained in his beautiful face.
"I love you," she repeated. "And, because you need me to, I'm the one who's leaving. But understand that your problem really is my problem too." She raised her arms and let her hands float in front of her space, consuming the space between his head and hers. The green tinge reflected and lit up his face, and she knew it was illuminating her skin as well. His lips had separated in shock and his gaze was locked, staring at her fingers.
She couldn't fight the tears or the way her face scrunched up in despair as she felt a tidal wave of mingled emotions flood her insides. She couldn't break her stare away from his eyes. Finally, she flung herself at him, letting her crackling hands come to rest on his cheeks. Their warm lips merged together, pressed tightly, the passion and fire that was distinctly Michael and Maria flew between her bodies. And the sensation seeped out of her finger tips. The emotions integrated into the green, tempered energy that bustled around her hands, transforming itself into physical force, and before either knew it, they were flying apart from one another as though an explosion had ripped them apart. Michael slammed into the wall and slid to the ground. Maria was thrown back into the air. She landed in the center of the room, dropping ceremoniously onto the dingy carpet.
She scrambled to her feet, afraid to look at Michael but forcing herself to anyway. He seemed to be dazed, struggling to sit up, as if some invisible fog was forcing him to stay on the ground. Maria yelped in fear before staring down at her vibrant hands once again. Realizing she had caused the energy that had sent Michael flying smack into a wall, she was terrified to touch him again. And so she kept her distance, shaking her head and crying and whispering sorry over and over before she turn and ran out of the room and into the pouring rain.
***
Liz looked around sleepily, not sure what had woken her up. A slamming at the door caused her to jump. She shook Max awake. "Max. Max, someone's at the door," she whispered.
"Open up. It's me."
Liz rolled her eyes and plopped back down onto her pillow. "I swear, Max. I love Michael, but if we ever get to settle down and he comes banging on our door in the middle of the night like this …. I might have to kill him."
Max smirked before grudgingly staggering to the door and unlocking it for Michael. He stormed inside, his hair and clothes soaked.
"What's wrong?" Max asked, shutting the door to the angry night.
"Did you heal Maria? Did something happen that I don't know about?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Max openly gawked at his best friend.
"Her hands. I saw them, Max. They were crackling just like Liz's did when she started getting powers."
Max's eyebrow raised in shock. Both men looked over to Liz, who was sitting up in the bed, a distraught and knowing expression on her face. A flash of lightning filled the room momentarily before it returned to being lit only by the dim light to the side of the mattress.
"It's true," Liz uttered. "It happened for the first time at the rest stop. Maria freaked. I freaked."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Max asked, trying to mask his mild hurt.
"After the whole FBI episode, Maria asked me not to. I promised, but we were going to tell you. I told her she had to tell you. She just needed time to cope with it, I guess. I know … I know I didn't want to tell you when it first happened to me."
Max nodded in understanding. Michael's desperation would not diminish, however. "We have to find her."
Worry flew onto Liz's face as her cheeks turned crimson. "Find her? What do you mean find her?"
"She ran off," Michael mumbled. "We had a huge fight. I told her that she … she can't stay here. That I was going to find a place for her to start over because this is too dangerous."
Max and Liz both stared at him incredulously.
"I can't believe you told her that," Liz said angrily as she jumped out of bed and went to put her shoes on.
"We'll talk about it later," Max told Michael with one of his disappointed glances.
Together, the three set out into the blowing rain to find her. "She couldn't have gone too far."
"If we don't find her in a few minutes, we're going to have to wake up Isabel and Kyle." Max grabbed onto Liz's hand as they made their way out of the parking lot and off into the long, narrow stretch of trees that dotted along the road.
"Maria!" Michael shouted above the wind, not caring what attention he attracted. He had to find her.
Max was about to make him stop screaming, but they were practically in the middle of nowhere and he knew he would have done anything if it had been Liz they were looking for. So he too began shouting out their friend's name as they stomped through the mud.
***
Maria ran, not knowing where she was going. She figured it would be all right, though, for she had been running without a destination for years already. The crackling would not stop and neither would the rain, but she didn't care. It was the pain inside that she wanted to stop. But it would not cease. Michael would never be able to get past his guilt, and she would never be able to get past that one stone wall still erected in the very center of his core. And now something was happening to her – something that shouldn't have been. Nevertheless, it *was* happening, and it only complicated everything.
She kept running, knowing that she would have been able to get over leaving her mother alone had she had the open arms of Michael Guerin. She would have been content to live the rest of her life running, if it was Michael that she was running with.
But she was there, in the middle of nowhere, running away from whatever she had left. Running through the dark and cold raindrops that soaked her jeans and black tank top.
Michael's face, drenched in his own tears, flashed in her mind, bringing her to a halt. She sucked the air in, heaving and sputtering. It was then that she saw the movement. A figure in the brush before her. It walked closer, stepping around the trees, emerging into the small bit of moonlight that shimmered in between the fierce sheets of rain. Maria gasped as she recognized the figure to be River Dog.
"I have finally found you. I trust the others are safe," he spoke calmly, contradicting the shock that had frozen on her face.
"We must go to Max. There is much to discuss, Maria." He looked down at her hands, his eyes enlarging at the glowing sight. "I see it has already begun. Hurry now." The gentle Indian reached out to the shaking girl, but she sunk to the mud, her knees giving out. She collapsed in a crumpled heap at his feet. He looked down at her, but before he could help her, he heard a familiar voice, shouting through the storm.
Michael ran as hard as he could until he reached them. As he clobbered the final few steps, he fell to his knees, gathering Maria into his arms. "What did you do to her?" he screamed.
Max and Liz followed quickly. "Oh my gawd, Max." Liz stared at River Dog, knowing her flash had been true. He had found them. River Dog had returned. Liz broke away from her amazement long enough to kneel down beside Michael. "Is she all right? Maria, can you hear me?"
"What did you do?" Michael shouted again, his voice muddled by a mixture of raindrops and tears. He picked her up, seeing her eyes open slightly and blinking a few times before closing again. The crackling had flickered out when she collapsed.
"She suffers from exhaustion, Michael. She will be all right. We must hurry. I will follow you back to where you are staying. There is much that I need to explain."
Michael secured his grasp, hoisting Maria further into his arms and turning around to head back to the motel. River Dog followed. Max looked at him before glancing at Liz. The two exchanged a look before grabbing hands and returning to the others. Both couldn't help wonder if River Dog's news was about to introduce even more danger into their lives. Michael was too concerned over Maria to care. But somewhere inside of him, he knew things were getting worse by the minute.
To be continued shortly.
"You've been pretty quiet," Michael commented as he rummaged through his bag. He stood at the end of the bed, while Maria sat along the side, dangling her legs off the edge.
"Still shaken up, I guess."
Michael looked at her for a moment before shuffling through his bag again. He had found what he was looking for already but continued absentmindedly sifting for lack of better actions. He felt awkward around her, because she was acting differently, almost as if she could sense what he was thinking. He didn't want her to know what he was thinking, because what ran through his mind scared even himself.
"Is that all that's wrong?"
"It's all right, Michael. You wouldn't want to hear it anyway."
He clutched the cardboard box in his left hand as he sauntered over to her. The sound of rain filled the quiet room as the first wave of drops began to shower down to the dusty ground outside. He stretched out his arm and opened his hand, displaying his offer to her. A box of animal crackers. She smiled in amazement, his action tipping her already emotion-crazed state over the top and forcing her into tears.
"I, uh, remembered how you grabbed these when all we had to eat was a bunch of vending machine junk."
"On our way to Marathon. I can't believe you remembered."
"I did." He sat down beside her. "Tell me what's wrong."
"Everything."
"Start with something, then."
She turned her entire body so that she was facing him. "I abandoned my mom, Michael. I just up and left her like my father did to us."
"She knows why. She knows you didn't abandon her. You *didn't* abandon her, Maria. You didn't."
"Why does it feel like I did then?"
"Because…."
"Yeah. That's what I thought." Maria's green eyes flooded over once again, and Michael looked away before starting again.
"You left because of me. So if it's anyone's fault, it's mine."
Maria could only shake her head. She pressed her fingers into her cheeks in frustration, angrily wiping the endless teardrops away. "Look at us," she spat and almost laughed. "Blaming ourselves for something we couldn't control."
Michael gazed down at the worn brown carpet. Down at his boots. He chose not to respond.
"Michael, I just want you to understand that I love you. Sometimes, I don't think you really get it."
"I get it," he mumbled quietly, almost dejectedly. He had tried to respond in a heartfelt manner, but it came out exactly how it felt. Maria was confused. Maria was stuck with him. He silently reached for her. "Let's just get some sleep, okay?"
They kicked off their shoes and crawled beneath the covers, never once letting go of each other. They closed their eyes. Maria cried for a little while, muffling the sound by burying her face in Michael's chest. He felt her tears seep through the black of his t-shirt and into his skin. The thought clouded his own eyes with watery haze. And again, he was reminded of how stupid he was for thinking that this might have worked.
Half an hour passed and Maria was on the verge of sleep. Before dropping off completely, she whispered, "Don't ever leave me, Michael."
He tightened his grasp, as if afraid she would dissolve into the bed and forever away from him if he didn't hold on for dear life. "I won't. You're gonna leave me," he uttered, almost inaudibly.
***
Max stared at the digital clock beside the bed, where he lay flat on his back. It read 11:43. He looked back to Liz, who was brushing her hair out in front of the mirror.
"Max, I saw it. Well, I didn't *see* it. But I saw Michael standing there. And then I actually heard gunshots."
"But you didn't see Michael get shot?"
"No. But I saw him. Only him. And then I couldn't see anything at all. But I know I heard Michael screaming."
Max sat up and pushed himself off of the bed quietly. As he strode over to Liz, he saw a branch of lightning illuminate the night through the curtains of their hotel room. He stepped up behind the chair she was seated on and began rubbing her shoulders as she continued talking.
"I don't know if that was supposed to happen today and something changed or … maybe it's still to come."
"There's no way of knowing unless you see something else, Liz."
"It's just … this whole seeing-the-future thing. It's more frustrating than anything else. I can't really understand it."
"I'm sorry."
Liz shook her head as she smiled and turned to look up at him. "Don't be." She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed her head tightly against his midsection while she remained seated. She could feel his hands running through her hair.
"I know I'm not in a position to promise you anything, Liz. But I can promise you that I'll spend every breath trying to find a way to make our lives normal again."
"As long as I have you here with me, I don't need normal."
They remained joined like this for long moments afterward, and as it often did for the star-crossed couple, time seemed to delay itself to allow them the serenity of each other – locked in a tender embrace.
In the room to the left of them slept Isabel, with Kyle on the floor. The room on the right, Maria and Michael were lost in tormented slumber, living a tangled nightmare. But right there, there in the middle stood Max and Liz, awake and aware.
But like all other things, the time came for them to break apart. "Ready for bed, Mrs. Parker. Or is it Mrs. Evans?" Max laughed. "You know, I can't believe we never talked about it."
Liz giggled. She couldn't believe it either, and in her diary she had been absentmindedly signing Parker due to habit. She silently wondered why, for the fact that she was Max Evans' wife had never escaped her mind. She chalked it up to subconsciously holding onto the last little bit of familiarity that she could. Her family name. The family that she had left and missed so much every day.
Liz walked over to the bed and slid in beside Max. But as she reached for the light, she looked directly into his adorable eyes and knew what she wanted. "It's Mrs. Evans," she stated simply before switching the lamp off and snuggling beneath the blanket. Max smiled into the newborn darkness before too sliding down into bed beside his wife.
***
Maria bolted straight up in the bed, finding it difficult to breathe with the ravaged images flooding her brain. She leaned over Michael, fumbling around for the lamp switch. Her fingers blindly felt around beneath the shade and finally fell across the hard knob. She turned it and light flooded the room as she struggled to catch her breath. Looking down to Michael, she immediately knew that she had been in his nightmare again. They had connected again. Sometimes, back in Roswell, it would happen. Maria would be leaning against Michael while he slept, and the flashes would come because they were touching each other. It was one of the rare times when Michael's guard was down.
This nightmare was vivid and harsh and almost real; she saw everything as Michael saw it. It was the same nightmare. Maria inside the little glass cube that filled with water. Michael stuck on the outside.
She watched his tense figure for a moment longer before shaking him awake. His eyes snapped open and darted around the room bewildered for several seconds before he focused on Maria's apprehensive face staring down at him. "What? What's wrong?" he asked, concerned, as he raised himself up on his elbows.
"I saw your nightmare again. And I'm not going to let you get by without an explanation again, Michael."
He sighed heavily as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Maria. It's nothing. Just a stupid dream."
"The same one as last night. I was in it, Michael."
He swung his legs off the bed and stood up. Without noticing what he was doing, he began to pace back and forth the length of the bed.
"I'm not shutting up until you tell me about it."
"If you saw it, then what do you need explained?"
"I- I felt what you felt. It was … it was terrifying."
Michael stopped pacing long enough to gaze at her with a bittersweet smirk. "Drop it. I mean it." He strode into the bathroom, and Maria heard the sink turn on. A full minute passed before he emerged, patting his face dry with a hand towel.
"I'm not going to drop it, Michael," Maria ventured, already sensing his intensifying agitation. "If I saw your dream, and I felt it, then why can't we talk about it?"
"Because there's nothing to talk about."
"There's plenty to talk about, pal."
"Maria," he said as a warning, glaring at her. She got up and kneeled in the center of the bed, determined.
"This is important, Michael. Why can't you just be open with me?"
He practically lunged forward, causing Maria to flinch. He stopped directly in front of her, and their faces were mere inches away from each other. "You dreamed MY dream. It doesn't get much more open than that," he spat through gritted teeth.
"Michael," she said quietly, beseechingly, and Michael felt his insides begin to melt. He stared another solid moment before closing his eyes and sighing as he stepped back.
"All right. All right, damn it. You want to know? Fine. That dream is the same one I've had over and over for three years. You remember the soap factory? You remember that party way back when we first started getting close? I had that dream for the first time the night before I broke it off with you there in that warehouse."
Maria stared intently, becoming more and more amazed. In all the time that had passed, she had never once believed he had cared for her so much back then. But ever since he told her that she was the girl for him and that he knew it since their road trip fiasco to Marathon, he had continued to shock her.
"I can't stop it, Maria. It's a nightmare, and it scares me more every time I dream it. It's the same every damn time. You're stuck in that stupid box, and I can see you. But I can't get to you."
Michael was waving his arms in gestures, the blank look on his face was betrayed by his tight lips that she knew were threatening to tremble as he spoke.
"I can't help you…. You're in danger, and I can't help you," he almost whispered, his voice catching. "The stupid thing went away for a while, but ever since we left Roswell, it's back. And … and it's making me realize what I knew back then. What I should have believed all along."
"What?" Maria asked, fearing his answer because she already knew what it was.
"You and I can't work."
"Don't say that."
When her voice quivered and he saw the tears come again, he closed his eyes and felt his chest crumble. "I'm sorry. Do you hear me, Maria? I am so sorry. I love you more than anything or anyone, okay? I love you, but don't you realize that it will never be enough for our situation? I mean, can't you see that?" Michael stared at her for a moment, half-expecting an answer. He collapsed onto the bed, burying his disheveled head of spikes in his trembling hands.
"How … how…" Maria was speechless, but she continued trying to find the words that were trapped inside her shaking body. "I … don't understand. I left for you," she half-whispered, half-sobbed.
"And I stayed for you. But even that can't save us…. You can't stay here anymore. I had my doubts in the beginning, but after today, I know it was all just a huge mistake. I'm going to figure out a way. Find a place for you to be safe. This won't work anymore."
"Don't you think this should be my decision?" she shouted, suddenly finding her voice and causing Michael to cringe at her anger.
"I will not go through another stint like today. I … don't think…. No. I *know* I wouldn't be able to go on if something happened to you. This is for your own safety, Maria. Please. You want to live, don't you?"
"This is not about my safety. It's about your peace of mind!"
Rain was now slamming against the window full force. Wind howled as it rustled crazily through the leaved tree branches. Thunder clapped every other minute.
"I can't see you get hurt."
"What? Emotions don't count? Look at what you're doing now, buddy."
"You're in danger here with me. I'm sorry, Maria. I just can't do this anymore."
"So you're giving me up … again? After everything?"
"You know it's not like that. I will never forgive myself for messing your life up as bad as I have. But, even if it's the last thing I do, I'm going to damn well make things right."
"You thick-skulled moron!" she hollered through blurry eyes. "You'll never understand what you're doing to me, will you? You'll never understand how much I love you?"
"I know that you want to help me. I've known that from the beginning. But I'm begging you, for all that you think I mean to you, Maria DeLuca, stay out of this. I can't live with you living with my problem. Honest to gawd, I can't…."
Maria's insides were trembling, and she felt like she was on a roller coaster that never ended. Her chest ached and she was sure her heart was in permanent knots. She couldn't think of anything to say, and so she just sat there, her body trying to recover from every sob that escaped. Michael's body cringed in despair every time he heard her cry out, unable to stop herself. The tears rolled freely from his sorrowed eyes. Maria remembered everything, allowing the images to roll freely in her mind.
….The first kiss in the Crashdown. The concern when he lay unconscious in the room above the restaurant. The fear that she would lose him in the desert. The devotion in the cave. The relief when he woke up. The stirring hope and poignant affection from his napkin holder project. She remembered it all. The devastation of him admitting that he loved her and then leaving her. All the bantering. All the joyrides and hell trips in the jetta. The time he let her get the flashes. The moments when she watched him sleep peacefully. The times when he laughed without worry, and the warmth his rare smile ignited in her chest….
She opened her eyes and the tears that had clung to her eyelids splashed down to her hands. She gulped, stunned, when she saw the green static had returned, hovering all about her fingers and the back and front of her palms. It tingled but it didn't hurt. Michael hadn't moved from the edge of the bed, his head still cradled in his hands. She watched his back shake ever so slightly, and she could tell he was holding in sobs, afraid of letting her see him cry so harshly.
"Maybe I should have listened when you said to drop it, huh?" she said bitterly.
"I just wanted more time," he spoke without moving. "To be with you a little longer and still pretend that we could be happy."
"Funny how Max and Liz are happy and in the same situation."
"It's totally different. I'm not Max. I can't let my problems consume your life. And you're not Liz. Your dreams are too big."
"Liz had dreams too. But she found something she wanted more."
"She's always been willing. Straight from the beginning."
"And she's always known that she had a reason to stick with all this madness. She knew Max loved her and he admitted it. I had you. Pushing me away every single chance you could. I think I've been just as loyal considering the situation."
"Well, I'd apologize for all of that, but it wouldn't make you feel any different. The point is, Max can live with himself. I can't. Not when you're constantly in danger because of me. And Liz…. She loves him. They're happy. And even if they weren't, Liz is different now."
"She's one of you, is that it?"
"If that's how you want to put it. Max healed her, and she's got things happening to her that she can't control. She needs to be here."
"And I don't," Maria stated simply, staring down at the glowing energy bolts around her hands. She gazed at them; they looked like miniature streaks of lightning.
"Please, Maria. I don't know how else to say this. It makes me physically sick whenever I so much as think about what could happen to you. You still have a chance to make a life somewhere for yourself. And if you're not thinking straight, I'll do it for you." His tone was weary. "I would never leave you, but you need to leave. Get away from me and my problem."
She realized she couldn't argue with him anymore. He truly couldn't live with himself for putting her in danger, and deep inside her, in the very core of her soul, she recognized this as the purest, most giving love ever attainable. Yes, deep down, she knew that she was loved by Michael Guerin more than she could have ever imagined, let alone hope for. He couldn't bare to see her hurt, and so he was going to give her up to save her life.
"I love you, Michael," she whispered as she crawled off the bed. Michael stood as she walked over to him. He could only stare at the ground, knowing he would break down again if he looked at her. But she asked in a hushed voice for him to look her in the eye, and he could not refuse her. And so he raised his head and opened his eyes to her pale, wet face and glimmering green eyes. And his eyes filled with water.
It reminded her much of the night he had come to her bedroom in the rain, sobbing. His eyes were searching and flooded and slightly squinted. His face was so full of pain, and she felt a pit in her stomach expand before plummeting. No hope remained in his beautiful face.
"I love you," she repeated. "And, because you need me to, I'm the one who's leaving. But understand that your problem really is my problem too." She raised her arms and let her hands float in front of her space, consuming the space between his head and hers. The green tinge reflected and lit up his face, and she knew it was illuminating her skin as well. His lips had separated in shock and his gaze was locked, staring at her fingers.
She couldn't fight the tears or the way her face scrunched up in despair as she felt a tidal wave of mingled emotions flood her insides. She couldn't break her stare away from his eyes. Finally, she flung herself at him, letting her crackling hands come to rest on his cheeks. Their warm lips merged together, pressed tightly, the passion and fire that was distinctly Michael and Maria flew between her bodies. And the sensation seeped out of her finger tips. The emotions integrated into the green, tempered energy that bustled around her hands, transforming itself into physical force, and before either knew it, they were flying apart from one another as though an explosion had ripped them apart. Michael slammed into the wall and slid to the ground. Maria was thrown back into the air. She landed in the center of the room, dropping ceremoniously onto the dingy carpet.
She scrambled to her feet, afraid to look at Michael but forcing herself to anyway. He seemed to be dazed, struggling to sit up, as if some invisible fog was forcing him to stay on the ground. Maria yelped in fear before staring down at her vibrant hands once again. Realizing she had caused the energy that had sent Michael flying smack into a wall, she was terrified to touch him again. And so she kept her distance, shaking her head and crying and whispering sorry over and over before she turn and ran out of the room and into the pouring rain.
***
Liz looked around sleepily, not sure what had woken her up. A slamming at the door caused her to jump. She shook Max awake. "Max. Max, someone's at the door," she whispered.
"Open up. It's me."
Liz rolled her eyes and plopped back down onto her pillow. "I swear, Max. I love Michael, but if we ever get to settle down and he comes banging on our door in the middle of the night like this …. I might have to kill him."
Max smirked before grudgingly staggering to the door and unlocking it for Michael. He stormed inside, his hair and clothes soaked.
"What's wrong?" Max asked, shutting the door to the angry night.
"Did you heal Maria? Did something happen that I don't know about?"
"What the hell are you talking about?" Max openly gawked at his best friend.
"Her hands. I saw them, Max. They were crackling just like Liz's did when she started getting powers."
Max's eyebrow raised in shock. Both men looked over to Liz, who was sitting up in the bed, a distraught and knowing expression on her face. A flash of lightning filled the room momentarily before it returned to being lit only by the dim light to the side of the mattress.
"It's true," Liz uttered. "It happened for the first time at the rest stop. Maria freaked. I freaked."
"Why didn't you say anything?" Max asked, trying to mask his mild hurt.
"After the whole FBI episode, Maria asked me not to. I promised, but we were going to tell you. I told her she had to tell you. She just needed time to cope with it, I guess. I know … I know I didn't want to tell you when it first happened to me."
Max nodded in understanding. Michael's desperation would not diminish, however. "We have to find her."
Worry flew onto Liz's face as her cheeks turned crimson. "Find her? What do you mean find her?"
"She ran off," Michael mumbled. "We had a huge fight. I told her that she … she can't stay here. That I was going to find a place for her to start over because this is too dangerous."
Max and Liz both stared at him incredulously.
"I can't believe you told her that," Liz said angrily as she jumped out of bed and went to put her shoes on.
"We'll talk about it later," Max told Michael with one of his disappointed glances.
Together, the three set out into the blowing rain to find her. "She couldn't have gone too far."
"If we don't find her in a few minutes, we're going to have to wake up Isabel and Kyle." Max grabbed onto Liz's hand as they made their way out of the parking lot and off into the long, narrow stretch of trees that dotted along the road.
"Maria!" Michael shouted above the wind, not caring what attention he attracted. He had to find her.
Max was about to make him stop screaming, but they were practically in the middle of nowhere and he knew he would have done anything if it had been Liz they were looking for. So he too began shouting out their friend's name as they stomped through the mud.
***
Maria ran, not knowing where she was going. She figured it would be all right, though, for she had been running without a destination for years already. The crackling would not stop and neither would the rain, but she didn't care. It was the pain inside that she wanted to stop. But it would not cease. Michael would never be able to get past his guilt, and she would never be able to get past that one stone wall still erected in the very center of his core. And now something was happening to her – something that shouldn't have been. Nevertheless, it *was* happening, and it only complicated everything.
She kept running, knowing that she would have been able to get over leaving her mother alone had she had the open arms of Michael Guerin. She would have been content to live the rest of her life running, if it was Michael that she was running with.
But she was there, in the middle of nowhere, running away from whatever she had left. Running through the dark and cold raindrops that soaked her jeans and black tank top.
Michael's face, drenched in his own tears, flashed in her mind, bringing her to a halt. She sucked the air in, heaving and sputtering. It was then that she saw the movement. A figure in the brush before her. It walked closer, stepping around the trees, emerging into the small bit of moonlight that shimmered in between the fierce sheets of rain. Maria gasped as she recognized the figure to be River Dog.
"I have finally found you. I trust the others are safe," he spoke calmly, contradicting the shock that had frozen on her face.
"We must go to Max. There is much to discuss, Maria." He looked down at her hands, his eyes enlarging at the glowing sight. "I see it has already begun. Hurry now." The gentle Indian reached out to the shaking girl, but she sunk to the mud, her knees giving out. She collapsed in a crumpled heap at his feet. He looked down at her, but before he could help her, he heard a familiar voice, shouting through the storm.
Michael ran as hard as he could until he reached them. As he clobbered the final few steps, he fell to his knees, gathering Maria into his arms. "What did you do to her?" he screamed.
Max and Liz followed quickly. "Oh my gawd, Max." Liz stared at River Dog, knowing her flash had been true. He had found them. River Dog had returned. Liz broke away from her amazement long enough to kneel down beside Michael. "Is she all right? Maria, can you hear me?"
"What did you do?" Michael shouted again, his voice muddled by a mixture of raindrops and tears. He picked her up, seeing her eyes open slightly and blinking a few times before closing again. The crackling had flickered out when she collapsed.
"She suffers from exhaustion, Michael. She will be all right. We must hurry. I will follow you back to where you are staying. There is much that I need to explain."
Michael secured his grasp, hoisting Maria further into his arms and turning around to head back to the motel. River Dog followed. Max looked at him before glancing at Liz. The two exchanged a look before grabbing hands and returning to the others. Both couldn't help wonder if River Dog's news was about to introduce even more danger into their lives. Michael was too concerned over Maria to care. But somewhere inside of him, he knew things were getting worse by the minute.
To be continued shortly.
