---Chapter 15---
Max watched as Victoria passed, then he headed over to Michael.
"Have you been with her?" -Max.
Michael groaned. "We didn't do anything. What's it to you anyway?" -Michael
"It's dangerous to associate with people we don't know. You know that! Anyone could be connected with .. with whoever took Isabel." Max said in a lowered voice.
"Maxwell, do you honestly think she has something to do with it?" Michael said, sarcastically.
Max sighed, "Probably not. But we can never be sure about anybody we don't know."
"I know her." -Michael.
"How much?" -Max.
"None of your damn business." -Michael.
"You know it is my business. Stay away from her. From everyone that's not our friends." -Max.
"Who said she wasn't?" -Michael.
"She's not mine." -Max.
"So?" -Michael.
"So. Stay away from her." -Max.
"What's with you and Maria?" Michael said, then continued, "She told me the same thing."
"She's right, Michael." -Max.
Michael started to say something back but Max said, "I just don't want anymore trouble. We don't need it."
"Okay, Max., I agree. But she has nothing to do with anything." Michael said as he stood up and started out.
"Michael---"Max warned, but Michael waved a hand and kept going.
At the mansion Wednesday night, Victoria was looking at the long official guest list for the masquerade ball on Halloween night. She spotted Michael's name on it, and yet she hadn't even consulted Adam about inviting anyone. She turned around when she heard Adam come into the parlor.
"I was going to invite someone, but I see their name is already listed." -Victoria.
"Yes, well, I thought you would want to invite Mr. Guerin. Besides, I may personally like to thank him for rescuing my ""daughter" that night several weeks ago." -Adam W.
Victoria looked at him. She knew it wasn't that simple.
Later, that night - a package arrived for her. She had been anticipating it, so she opened it as soon as her maid, Marie Clara, had brought it in. She looked at the contents of the box and smiled in approval at the costume inside.
"Marie," She called to her maid who was tidying up Victoria's rooms.
"Yes, miss." Her maid said as she hurried over. "What can I do for you?"
"You can make sure this package is sent to Michael Guerin Friday night. Make sure it is delivered into his hands." -Victoria.
Victoria got up and wrote a short note and put it in the box before closing it back up. She then handed it to her maid, along with the address of the apartment it was to be sent to.
Victoria didn't see Michael much for the rest of the week, except in class. She found out he had made a 98 on the test that they'd studied for . . . something which had surprised him.
She hadn't mentioned the ball to him again and he was probably wondering why she hadn't. But she knew that he would be getting her package this evening. Whether he'd show at the ball the following night, she didn't know.
Walking into the mansion Friday afternoon - she found the place in a mass of preparations. The mansion was being transformed into an elaborate haunted palace of sorts. Several dozen hired help were already in the midst of doing so. The decorating and planning had been all week, but today was the busiest.
Upon entering, Marie -her maid, hurried to her. Your costume is finished, Miss Winthrop. It arrived earlier today.
"Thank you, Marie." -Victoria.
When Max was finally able to track his 'watchers, he ended up going all the way to Las Cruces, but then he lost them. What was significant about Las Cruces, lately?
And he recalled that the new girl, the one Michael had been seen with- her and her father had moved to Las Cruces less than 2 months ago. Maybe it was a coincidence, but it seemed strange that nothing was going on until the new girl's arrival. Did the former senator and his daughter's arrival have something to do with him and his friends being followed, Jesse being injured, and Isabel missing? He didn't know for sure. But he had to try to follow that lead. It's all he had and he was desperate. He also knew that he couldn't go to Michael with his possible suspicions, so when Max returned to Roswell - he went straight to the Crashdown Cafe and employed Liz's help. He knew of the ball that the ex-senator was having. It had been publicized and Roswell High had been abuzz with it all week, although he knew it was hard to get an invitation. But.. not if he made one for himself and Liz.
Meanwhile, Maria was itching to get in as well. She was determined she'd go the next night. The problem was, she wasn't invited and she sure wasn't going to ask Victoria if she could come.
She'd asked Michael what he was doing Saturday night. He said he was going to work over time. She had just started to pull away in her car when she saw a messenger arrive with a package for him. It didn't seem important to her, so she didn't think anything of it.
She had gathered from Michael that he wasn't going - whether he had been invited or not, she didn't know, but he'd said he didn't want to go to anything like that. So she concluded that he wasn't going. She wanted to go with him, but at the same time it was a good thing he wasn't going to be around *Victoria*. If she wanted to go, she had to ask someone else.
An hour later, she was back home after having gotten Kyle to agree to go with her. He thought it was better than nothing on a Saturday night when he had no date, besides he thought he might meet a hot debutante or something..
When the messenger arrived, leaving the package, Michael took it and closed the door. He sat it down on the couch and opened the lid.
A note sat on top. He opened it and it read:
"Wear this. I dare you. Saturday at 7."
It was signed, Victoria.
Michael knew it had to be a costume, then. He set the note aside and looked in the box. Unbelievable. She didn't, he thought. Wear this? He looked at the expensive costume. What the hell, he thought.
It was a masquerade and it wasn't like anyone else that he knew was going to be there. Even if there was, no one would recognize him in *this*.
Max watched as Victoria passed, then he headed over to Michael.
"Have you been with her?" -Max.
Michael groaned. "We didn't do anything. What's it to you anyway?" -Michael
"It's dangerous to associate with people we don't know. You know that! Anyone could be connected with .. with whoever took Isabel." Max said in a lowered voice.
"Maxwell, do you honestly think she has something to do with it?" Michael said, sarcastically.
Max sighed, "Probably not. But we can never be sure about anybody we don't know."
"I know her." -Michael.
"How much?" -Max.
"None of your damn business." -Michael.
"You know it is my business. Stay away from her. From everyone that's not our friends." -Max.
"Who said she wasn't?" -Michael.
"She's not mine." -Max.
"So?" -Michael.
"So. Stay away from her." -Max.
"What's with you and Maria?" Michael said, then continued, "She told me the same thing."
"She's right, Michael." -Max.
Michael started to say something back but Max said, "I just don't want anymore trouble. We don't need it."
"Okay, Max., I agree. But she has nothing to do with anything." Michael said as he stood up and started out.
"Michael---"Max warned, but Michael waved a hand and kept going.
At the mansion Wednesday night, Victoria was looking at the long official guest list for the masquerade ball on Halloween night. She spotted Michael's name on it, and yet she hadn't even consulted Adam about inviting anyone. She turned around when she heard Adam come into the parlor.
"I was going to invite someone, but I see their name is already listed." -Victoria.
"Yes, well, I thought you would want to invite Mr. Guerin. Besides, I may personally like to thank him for rescuing my ""daughter" that night several weeks ago." -Adam W.
Victoria looked at him. She knew it wasn't that simple.
Later, that night - a package arrived for her. She had been anticipating it, so she opened it as soon as her maid, Marie Clara, had brought it in. She looked at the contents of the box and smiled in approval at the costume inside.
"Marie," She called to her maid who was tidying up Victoria's rooms.
"Yes, miss." Her maid said as she hurried over. "What can I do for you?"
"You can make sure this package is sent to Michael Guerin Friday night. Make sure it is delivered into his hands." -Victoria.
Victoria got up and wrote a short note and put it in the box before closing it back up. She then handed it to her maid, along with the address of the apartment it was to be sent to.
Victoria didn't see Michael much for the rest of the week, except in class. She found out he had made a 98 on the test that they'd studied for . . . something which had surprised him.
She hadn't mentioned the ball to him again and he was probably wondering why she hadn't. But she knew that he would be getting her package this evening. Whether he'd show at the ball the following night, she didn't know.
Walking into the mansion Friday afternoon - she found the place in a mass of preparations. The mansion was being transformed into an elaborate haunted palace of sorts. Several dozen hired help were already in the midst of doing so. The decorating and planning had been all week, but today was the busiest.
Upon entering, Marie -her maid, hurried to her. Your costume is finished, Miss Winthrop. It arrived earlier today.
"Thank you, Marie." -Victoria.
When Max was finally able to track his 'watchers, he ended up going all the way to Las Cruces, but then he lost them. What was significant about Las Cruces, lately?
And he recalled that the new girl, the one Michael had been seen with- her and her father had moved to Las Cruces less than 2 months ago. Maybe it was a coincidence, but it seemed strange that nothing was going on until the new girl's arrival. Did the former senator and his daughter's arrival have something to do with him and his friends being followed, Jesse being injured, and Isabel missing? He didn't know for sure. But he had to try to follow that lead. It's all he had and he was desperate. He also knew that he couldn't go to Michael with his possible suspicions, so when Max returned to Roswell - he went straight to the Crashdown Cafe and employed Liz's help. He knew of the ball that the ex-senator was having. It had been publicized and Roswell High had been abuzz with it all week, although he knew it was hard to get an invitation. But.. not if he made one for himself and Liz.
Meanwhile, Maria was itching to get in as well. She was determined she'd go the next night. The problem was, she wasn't invited and she sure wasn't going to ask Victoria if she could come.
She'd asked Michael what he was doing Saturday night. He said he was going to work over time. She had just started to pull away in her car when she saw a messenger arrive with a package for him. It didn't seem important to her, so she didn't think anything of it.
She had gathered from Michael that he wasn't going - whether he had been invited or not, she didn't know, but he'd said he didn't want to go to anything like that. So she concluded that he wasn't going. She wanted to go with him, but at the same time it was a good thing he wasn't going to be around *Victoria*. If she wanted to go, she had to ask someone else.
An hour later, she was back home after having gotten Kyle to agree to go with her. He thought it was better than nothing on a Saturday night when he had no date, besides he thought he might meet a hot debutante or something..
When the messenger arrived, leaving the package, Michael took it and closed the door. He sat it down on the couch and opened the lid.
A note sat on top. He opened it and it read:
"Wear this. I dare you. Saturday at 7."
It was signed, Victoria.
Michael knew it had to be a costume, then. He set the note aside and looked in the box. Unbelievable. She didn't, he thought. Wear this? He looked at the expensive costume. What the hell, he thought.
It was a masquerade and it wasn't like anyone else that he knew was going to be there. Even if there was, no one would recognize him in *this*.