"Michael..." stammered Maria, "I thought...I mean, you, you were..." No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get out how she felt after finding that he didn't hate her.

Michael looked at her, the sadness evident in his eyes. What was the matter with him? As far as she could see, everything was perfect again.

"Sorry, Maria." He sounded perfectly controlled, as if he didn't give a damn about what had just happened. "Don't worry, I won't try to kiss you." His control slipped then, exposing a hint of bitterness. He stood and strode into the backroom, leaving a perplexed Maria sitting on the floor in the middle of the busy Crashdown. What the hell was going on? He loved her, she had felt it.

She stood slowly and backed out of the building, staring at the door he had left through. Once she was outside, she turned and ran away, tears streaming down her face.

*******


Liz Parker walked into the UFO Center and headed for Brody, who was manning the information booth.

"Liz, hey!" Brody smiled at her. "Somehow I don't think you're here to learn more about conspiracies and cover-ups. Max is in the storeroom. Try not to take too long, I'm paying him to do actual work."

Liz laughed. "Don't worry, Brody. I just have to cancel our date. Something came up." She left and made her way through the clutter of the storeroom, looking for Max.

"Hey you," she said when she finally found him. "I have some bad news for you. I have to cancel our date."

"Why?"

"Maria needs me. I'm not quite sure what's wrong, but she called me and asked me to come over. She sounded really upset."

"I wonder if it has anything to do with Michael," replied Max, worried. "He had an extra shift at the plant this afternoon. He came over here after he finished at the Crashdown to borrow the Chevelle, and let's just say he wasn't a happy hybrid."

Liz sighed in exasperation. "Oh, no...They really were close to caving in. Why do they both need to be so stubborn? They really are perfect for each other, when you think about it. Couldn't be better matched!" And with that, she left to console her friend.

Max shook his head and went back to work. They really were a perfect match, in more ways than that one. He knew, however, that no matter how hard he and Liz tried to work things out for the couple, in the end, they wouldn't.

Only Michael and Maria could bring themselves together.