She stared at the picture. It was Alex.

"TEENAGER KILLED IN DEADLY ACCIDENT."

The picture was one obviously taken by a school photographer, with the generic blue gray background. He looked even better in person, Jill decided. He must be one of those people that don't photograph well.

She shouldn't feel that way.

Alex was dead. He'd been dead since before she was born.

But….she couldn't think of him as just a ghost anymore. He was a friend, a wonderful friend that made her laugh. It was almost as if she found the male version of Casey, someone who fit all the places where she felt hollow.

Too bad he was dead.

And too old for her.

She must be one of those people who was destined to have heartache for the rest of her life. Happiness was not meant to be hers.

She needed her Mom. She needed her badly. Her mom always had the knack of making her feel better, of making her smile. Her mother annoyed her at times, with her rules and regulations, and incessant worrying…but her mother was still her friend…a very good friend.

She scanned through the articles of the next two months, and copied all of them off without reading the article.

It was too bad she didn't.

She missed the quotes her parents made about their good friend, Alex Whitman.

***

"2002" Alex muttered, looking at the book's cover. "Taking Our Place in the Universe." He quoted the book's motto. "How ironic."

He flipped to the Senior Section.

Senior Superlatives.

Smartest: Liz Parker and Max Evans.

Most Popular: Maggie Sherman and Doug Sohn

Most Athletic: Kris Johnson and Kyle Valenti

Best Dressed: Gracie Cohen and Thomas Malamud

Most Likely to Succeed: Isabel Evans and Max Evans

And then there were the Silly Superlatives…a West Roswell High tradition…

Some of them were pretty stupid…Best Farts, Most Forgetful, Most Likely to marry Keanu Reeves…Keanu Reeves?

One made him smile.

Most Dysfunctional Couple- Maria De Luca and Michael Guerin.

Now that certainly was the truth.

One made him frown.

Couple Most Likely to be Married (Happily) in 25 years- Isabel Evans and Kyle Valenti.

WHAT?

Alex slammed the book down.

It had to be a joke, a joke, yeah, that's what it was. Isabel and Kyle were too obvious a couple, both beautiful and popular people…the kind that people expected to go out and breed Stepford children. But they didn't…they wouldn't, they couldn't, right?

Alex decided he had enough for one night. He put the book in its proper place on the shelf, and went off to find Jill.

***

She looked up to see Alex, and wanted to jump for joy. "Let's ditch this place" she muttered in a hushed tone.

He nodded his head.

"I've got the copies in my purse. You were quite a news topic back in 2001, you know?"

He just grunted.

"You're acting just like Uncle Mike…now tell me what's wrong?"

He shrugged. "I found out that the girl I liked…the girl I loved…started dating one of my best friends the year after I died. I thought…I thought…I don't know what I thought, but I didn't expect them to be together."

"Oh." Jill said, looking up at the sky. "The stars sure are pretty tonight."

"Is….My girlfriend always liked the stars. I always felt that she belonged among them."

"Stargazing is something my mother and I do together. We take this book, this book she's had for ages, and look at the stars. None of my sisters or James like to look at the stars…Jett did though."

"Who's Jett?"

"Jett…was one of my best friends….besides Casey…and I loved him. I really did. I was sixteen, and he got in a car crash, and he died…"

Alex reached over and put his arm around her. "I'm sorry, Jill. So sorry."

"I was in the car that night, Alex. I could have healed him. I could have saved him. I got knocked unconscious, and by the time I woke up, he was gone. I still remember the night…I can't forget it…it was my fault."

"No it wasn't. Nobody, no alien, no doctor, even, can save everybody all the time. It was his time to go. It was not your fault, Jill. It was not."

"Try telling that to his Mom and Dad."

"They blame you?" He asked, incredulously.

"I do. It was my fault. I told him to turn around so I could get my purse. I forgot it."

"Jill…" Alex said as a shout drowned out his words.

"Turn around and put your hands in the air. This is a hold up."

***

Jill swallowed heavily. She complied, and cursed that she didn't bring her gun with her.

"Give me your purse."

"I'll give you all the money I have, and everything of value, but that has some family documents that I need…please let me keep them." Jill pleaded.

"Hurry it up." The thief muttered.

She handed over the purse.

The thief started to run off, but turned back around. "You might talk." He said, inching close to her. "Too bad…you're a pretty one.." the thief elaborated, running his hand down her face. "Maybe I should take you with me."

"I don't think so. I'd kick your ass from here to Tucson."

"Not advisable, pretty baby." The thief said, pulling out a gun and shooting.

Alex felt a rush of adrenaline. He leaped in front of Jill.

He wasn't going to let her die. Bullets had almost claimed the life of two of his closest friends.

A bullet would not take down Jill.

The thief stood there in amazement. Something prevented the bullet from hitting her. Groaning, he hit the girl in the face, causing her to fall to the ground.

He never saw what decked him a second later.

***

Jill awakened in Alex's room…with his face looking over her.

"Alex?" she said feeling sore all over at the slight motion. "What happened?"

"The thief hit you when I stopped the bullet. Left you with a pretty good shiner, but you should be ok."

"How did I get here?"

"I punched 911 on your phone thing…the Sheriff came and got you..and took away the crook…and then Amy came and took care of you…to make sure you're ok, you obviously couldn't go to the ER, with your…otherworldly status..."

"You stopped the bullet?"

"I couldn't let you die."

She stared up at Alex, as he stared down at her.

Slowly, as if some force was drawing them together, their lips met.

Jill felt like she was soaring, like this, having Alex here, like this, her lips intertwining with his, was better than any dream could constantly be.

Alex felt like he was home. For the first time since Prom Night, everything felt exactly right and wonderful, just like it should be.