ALL NIGHT LONG
"You didn't have to stay here all night with me," Liz said to Sean as
they walked out of the Crashdown. "Was I that entertaining at cleaning
tables and taking orders?"
Sean smiled. "Compared to Maria, I think so."
Liz smiled back as she looked around. "So, are you waiting to take
Maria home?"
"No," he said. "She's getting a ride with Michael."
"Oh. Then, what are you still doing here?" Liz asked, even though she
already knew the answer.
"Your shift's over," he said, reaching for her hand. "You can't give
me anymore excuses." His hand grabbed onto Liz's and held on tight.
Liz followed him to his car.
*
She was waiting.
Max turned to face her, unsure on where to start. "We're different,
Tess."
"What do you mean?" she asked.
"We're aliens," he said, "but we're human too. Hybrids, to be more
exact. Our ship crashed here in Roswell. We have powers. That's what
happened when you threw me across the room, how I got out of those ropes.
We're not alone. There are two more of us here." He looked at her shocked
expression and continued. "But, there are others out there called the
Skins. They work for Kivar, our enemy from our home planet, Antar. You left
on a ship to go back to Antar not more than a month ago. You had betrayed
us by killing Alex and by letting us know about the pact that you were
going to hand us over to Kivar to be killed when we got back to Antar." He
paused again. "Any questions?"
Tess closed her eyes, soaking in all the information. She opened them
back up. "Yes." She took in a deep breath. "Do you expect me to believe
that?"
*
"What are we doing here?" Liz sat down on Sean's car hood. "There's
not much to see, you know." Sean had driven them into the middle of the
desert.
"Sure there is." Sean sat down next to her. "Look up there." He
pointed to the sky.
Liz followed his eyes to the many stars in the dark sky and the
bright moon shining over them. "Isn't it beautiful?"
"Yeah, it is," Sean said softly.
She turned to him and saw that he was looking at her. He started to
move closer, leaning forward to kiss her. "Sean." But she didn't protest
when his lips found hers.
*
Max looked up to the stars in the sky as he got ready for bed. His
head was pounding from his conversation with Tess. She hadn't believed him.
He wasn't going to try to make her. It was enough that he had told her the
truth. He had left her in the UFO Center once again. She said she wanted to
time to think. Alone. Max took that chance to leave.
"Hey." Isabel was standing in his doorway. "Can we talk?"
He nodded as he sat down on his bed.
"I'm worried about you, Max," she said. "Is there something going
on?"
"I'm fine, Isabel."
"See, that's why I'm worried. When you say that, it usually means
something is wrong."
"Nothing's wrong," he said.
Isabel looked sympathetically at him. "You can come talk to me
whenever you want, okay?" She left his room.
Max laid down on his bed and sighed. "Nothing's wrong," he said
again.
* Jim turned off the television set and put down his beer. It was another long night of doing nothing. Kyle was asleep in his room and Jim was on his way to his own room. He picked up his beer and walked into the kitchen. He poured the rest of the drink out in the sink and proceeded to toss the can away when his mouth dropped open and his legs stopped moving. Outside his kitchen window, he saw her. Tess was back. She was walking around aimlessly in the middle of the night. The first thought that came into his mind was that she might be cold because she wasn't wearing a coat. He opened the back door and walked outside. "Tess?" he called out. "Tess?" She turned to him. Her blue eyes looked at him curiously. "Do I know you?" "It's me, Jim," he said. "Jim Valenti, Kyle's father." "Kyle?" she said. Her eyes seemed even more confused. "Come with me." He extended his hand to her. "Lets go inside." "I don't know you," she said backing away slowly. "But then again, I don't know anyone.except for Max." "Max? Has Max seen you?" he asked. "He's been hiding me," she said. "He told me there were people after me. I'm a bad person. I killed someone." She held back her tears. "Did he tell you that?" Jim said. "I don't know what he's telling me," she said. "He told me I was an alien and that I have these powers. I don't believe him." "But you believed him when he said that you were a killer?" She nodded. "Why else would I have had lost my memory? Something bad happened to me because I did something bad." "Tess, please come with me." His hand was still waiting for hers. "Come inside." "Can you help me?" she asked softly. "I'll try my best," he said. Tess glanced up at him. She didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust him. She took his hand and let him put his arm around her shoulders.
* Jim turned off the television set and put down his beer. It was another long night of doing nothing. Kyle was asleep in his room and Jim was on his way to his own room. He picked up his beer and walked into the kitchen. He poured the rest of the drink out in the sink and proceeded to toss the can away when his mouth dropped open and his legs stopped moving. Outside his kitchen window, he saw her. Tess was back. She was walking around aimlessly in the middle of the night. The first thought that came into his mind was that she might be cold because she wasn't wearing a coat. He opened the back door and walked outside. "Tess?" he called out. "Tess?" She turned to him. Her blue eyes looked at him curiously. "Do I know you?" "It's me, Jim," he said. "Jim Valenti, Kyle's father." "Kyle?" she said. Her eyes seemed even more confused. "Come with me." He extended his hand to her. "Lets go inside." "I don't know you," she said backing away slowly. "But then again, I don't know anyone.except for Max." "Max? Has Max seen you?" he asked. "He's been hiding me," she said. "He told me there were people after me. I'm a bad person. I killed someone." She held back her tears. "Did he tell you that?" Jim said. "I don't know what he's telling me," she said. "He told me I was an alien and that I have these powers. I don't believe him." "But you believed him when he said that you were a killer?" She nodded. "Why else would I have had lost my memory? Something bad happened to me because I did something bad." "Tess, please come with me." His hand was still waiting for hers. "Come inside." "Can you help me?" she asked softly. "I'll try my best," he said. Tess glanced up at him. She didn't know why, but she felt like she could trust him. She took his hand and let him put his arm around her shoulders.