Title: Rosmole (7/10)
Author: Kata
Disclaimer: Roswell's not mine; The Mole's not mine. Got it?
Rating: PG
Author's Notes: Sorry for the incredibly long delay on this one. Unfortunately real life interfered and I had no time for writing. From here on out, it should go much, much faster. Enjoy the fic!
******
Ten friends playing for up to one million dollars. Among them a saboteur, a traitor, the mole. The winner? The one who answers the question, who is the mole?
Maria woke up fairly early the next morning and stumbled down to hotel lobby for some hot chocolate, fully expecting to be the first one there. To her surprise, Isabel was already there, curled up in an armchair with a cup of coffee.
"Oh! Isabel! I didn't think anyone would be up yet!" Maria exclaimed as she mixed her cocoa.
Isabel shrugged. "I couldn't sleep."
"Thinking of Alex?" Maria asked softly, then quickly added, "I know, I know, you're not dating."
Isabel sighed. "We're really not, but . . . we're not dating anyone else, you know?"
Maria smiled. "Dating Michael Guerin has often been like that."
"And even though it's not my fault that Alex left-- I mean, it's not like Survivor, where you vote people off-- I can't help feeling responsible."
Maria nodded. "It's the game. I watched it on TV last year and all the distrust made it exciting. But now I'm playing the game and I can't trust anyone. Not Michael. Not you. I couldn't even trust my own mother! And I don't want to be the one executed, but that means wishing that my best friends lose! I feel guilty, too," she concluded
Isabel swirled the coffee around in her cup. "I hate lying. I've had to lie for so long," she said, no longer talking about the game.
Maria sighed. "Yeah. It's hard."
"It doesn't matter if you're the mole or not," Isabel continued. "You still have to lie about who you think it is, lie to your best friends."
"To your own mother! And maybe I'm supposed to be lie to your mother, since I'm a teenager, but Mom and I have never been like that, you know?" Maria sighed. "Look on the bright side. We're down to the final four. Once the game is over, we can stop lying. We know all of each others deepest, darkest secrets, remember?" She grinned at Isabel.
Isabel smiled back at Maria. "Right."
"And I hearby forgive you for any lies you have or will tell me," Maria said. "But only during the game, okay? Don't lie to me when we get back home. You know, like don't lie to me about Michael."
"I won't."
"Good." Maria paused. "You're not lying to me now, are you?"
******
It was ten o'clock and Maria and Isabel had gathered with the rest of the contestants in the hotel lobby, waiting to be taken away to yet another town and another competition.
Michael was staring around at his friends. "I just realized I'm the only guy left."
"You're not complaining, are you?" Maria asked. "You should be happy to be surrounded by all this lovely feminity." She gestured to herself, Tess, and Isabel.
"And if you're not, lie," Isabel advised.
"Besides, you're not really the only guy," Tess pointed out. "Anderson's still here."
"Glad you noticed," Anderson said dryly. "Everyone ready to go?"
"You know," Maria commented, as the group filed out of the hotel and into the van. "Someday, I want your job, Anderson. You get to stand around and be the all-knowing host and guide, while the rest of us suffer with the challenges and the mole . . . Anderson, do you know who the mole is?"
"Nope. Well, at least no one's told me. I have my suspicions."
"Really?" Maria's eyes lit up. "Who?"
Anderson laughed. "That wouldn't be fair, Maria! I know far more about this game than you do."
"Darn," Maria said, as she buckled her seatbelt.
"Don't you have some idea of who the mole is?" Michael asked from his seat next to Maria. "You've made it this far."
"Oh, maybe. It's just you're never sure, you know?"
"Hey!" Tess suddenly said. "We're the final four! That's all important in Survivor. Shouldn't we get some sort of award?" She glanced at Anderson.
"Sorry, Tess. You still have to make it a bit further to get the prize."
"Anyway, I'm glad this isn't Survivor," Isabel commented. "At least with The Mole we get to stay in luxurious hotels, see some of the world . . . ."
"And shop?" Michael asked, pointing to the bags Maria had stashed in the van.
"Exactly."
******
A little over two hours later, the van pulled up to a field surrounded by trees.
"Um? Anderson?" Maria spoke up. "This isn't quite a hotel, you know."
"Challenge first, Maria." Anderson stepped out the van and waited for the contestants to circle around him. "All right. Here's the challenge. See that path?" he pointed at the forest. "You have to make it down the path, about a mile, to the hotel we'll be staying at."
Michael frowned. "This challenge seems somewhat unchallenging."
"You know us better than that. Here's the catch." Anderson reached down to a bag near his feet and pulled out a handful of material. "Tess, you're blind," he said, handing her a blindfold. "Maria, you can't talk. Michael, you just lost your right leg, and Isabel, your right arm is gone."
"How come Isabel gets the easy one," Tess griped, as she attempted to tie the blindfold around her eyes.
"Yeah," Maria said, coming behind Tess to tie the blindfold. "I can't not talk."
"How are you going to check that anyway?" Michael asked. "You're not really going to cut of my leg are?"
"Or my arm?"
Anderson handed Isabel a sling and Michael a long piece of material. Maria got a another long strip of material.
"I get the blindfold," Michael said, "but what's this for?" He held up his strip of fabric.
"It's to tie your leg up, of course," Anderson said. "And Maria needs to tie that around her mouth." He gestured to the material Maria held in her hands.
"I get crutches, right?" Michael asked hopefully.
"Sorry, but the point of this challenge is to depend on each other," Anderson answered.
"How much is it, anyway?" Maria asked. "If I have to give up talking, it better be for a good cause."
"One-hundred thousand," Anderson replied.
Maria's eyes widened. "Good enough for me!" She began tying her makeshift gag around her head.
"Okay, so we just have to get to the hotel, with our 'handicaps'?" Michael asked.
"In half-an-hour, sticking together, and staying on the path."
"And I still don't get crutches?"
"Nope."
Michael groaned. "Okay then. Guess I'll lean on the chicks." He grinned at Maria, Tess, and Isabel.
"Don't forget I'm blind," Tess said. She had been standing completely still, too unsure of her surroundings to move.
"Actually, that works out," Isabel said. "Tess is the shortest anyway. Maria and I can support Michael and you can just--"
"Hey guys!" Anderson broke in. "No planning until your time starts." He glanced down at his watch. "Okay, *now* start planning."
Isabel rolled her eyes. "As I was saying, Tess you can just grab hold of Maria or my arm."
"Okay," Tess said uncertainly. "Um . . . but where are you guys?" She reached out tentatively.
Maria moved over to grab Tess' arm. "Who's that?" Tess asked.
Maria opened her mouth to answer, but suddenly stopped, remembering her gag.
"Maria," Michael answered for her. He was attempting to balance on one leg. "Um? Can I get a little help here? I'm about to fall over."
Isabel moved quickly over to him. Michael wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Ugh." Isabel groaned. "Can you give me a hand here, Maria? Michael has been eating way too much junk food!"
"Hey!" Michael protested.
Maria quickly moved over to Michael's other side-- leaving Tess behind in the process.
"Maria?" Tess called, reaching her hands out. "Where did you go?"
Maria smacked herself in the forehead. She reached out a hand to Tess, who tentatively grabbed it.
"Just walk forward, Tess!" Isabel called over her shoulder.
"Okay." Tess took a couple of steps. "You'd tell me if I were about to run into something, right?"
"Trust us," Isabel said.
"Okay then," Michael said, as Tess came up to Maria's side. The four of them were now lined up and clinging to one another. "Are we ready to go?"
"Looks like it," Isabel said. The group didn't make a step.
"Did we start moving?" Tess asked.
"On the count of three," Michael answered. "One, two, three . . ."
Maria and Isabel took huge steps forward. Michael took a desperate jump, trying to keep up with them, but landing half a step behind. Tess didn't move, but instead let her hand slip from Maria's arm.
"The idea was to move, Tess!" an exasperated Isabel said.
Tess winced at Isabel's harsh voice. "I'm sorry! I hate not knowing where we're going!"
"Trust," Isabel said. "Remember? It's what this whole game boils down to anyway."
"Just take a couple steps forward," Michael suggested. "Maria will grab your hand. Right sweetie?" He grinned at Maria. She shot him a look, but did as he asked.
Tess took a deep breath. "Okay, I'm ready." She had put her hand firmly around Maria's arm. Michael had managed to jump another half step forward, so that the four friends were once again in one line.
"Try not to make such huge steps," Michael said to Isabel and Maria. "I can't jump that far."
"Yeah," Tess said. "And I have little legs!"
"Okay," Isabel sighed. "Ready everyone? One, two, three . . .go!"
This time, the friends managed to stay more or less together. "Okay, good." Michael said. "Now we're getting somewhere."
"Yeah, two feet from where we started," Isabel murmured.
"Attitude, attitude," Michael chided her, teasingly.
"She's right," Tess said. "It'll take us forever if we do it this way, counting before each step."
"Well, what do you suggest?" Michael asked, exasperated.
Tess bit her lip. "I don't know. I can't even see!"
"Isabel?" Michael asked. "Any suggestions or do you just like to complain?"
Maria jabbed Michael in the ribs.
"What?" Michael asked.
"I think that means, be polite," Isabel murmured.
Michael rolled his eye. "Fine, I'll be polite. Isabel dearest, do you have any suggestions?"
"No."
"Fine then," Michael said. "Now instead of arguing and wasting time, let's just continue with the counting method until someone comes up with a better idea, okay?"
The others murmured their assent (or in Maria's case, nodded their assent) and they began moving.
"One, two, three, go. One, two, three, go," Isabel repeated.
After a couple of minutes of this, Tess interrupted her.
"I think we have the hang of this now, Isabel. You probably don't have to count anymore. See?" she added, as the group took another successful step. "It'll probably be faster, too."
"Good point," Isabel said and ceased counting.
The group silently continued on this way for several minutes.
"You know," Michael said, finally breaking the silence. "I never thought I'd say this, but I actually miss all Maria's chatter."
Maria shot a quick glance up at him, checking to see if he was serious.
"Or maybe not," Michael said, with an unrepentant grin.
Isabel smiled. "Be good, Michael or I might just 'accidentally' let you slip and fall."
"This is what I hate about being alone with three chicks!" Michael exclaimed. "You always stick together!"
"Well if Maria can't defend herself, it's up to us to do the job for her." Tess chimed in.
Michael groaned. "I give up!"
"Of course you do," Isabel said. "Girls always win."
The contestants fell into a comfortable silence as they continued down the path.
"Anyone know how much time we have left?" Tess asked after a couple of minutes.
"No watch," Michael said, as Maria raised her own empty wrist.
"Isabel?"
"I forgot to take it off when we went swimming the other day. According to it, it's been 3:21 for the past three days!"
"Well, that's just great," Tess said. "For all we know, we could already be out of time!"
"Don't be silly," Isabel said. "It hasn't been that long."
"Silly? How is it silly to worry about whether or not we're going to win this challenge? Unless, of course, you're the mole and want us to lose." Tess' outburst surprised even herself. She groaned. "Sorry, Isabel. I just hate being blind."
Isabel managed a small grin. "It's all right. I understand. The stress of this game is getting to all of us."
"So," Michael broke in. "You think Isabel's the mole, Tess? That's interesting."
"I didn't say that."
"So you *don't* think Isabel's the mole, then?"
"I didn't say that either."
"You must have some opinion," Michael said.
Tess laughed. "To tell you the truth, I never thought I would get this far. I'm just having fun playing the game."
"Him," Michael said. "What about you, Isabel? Any suspects?"
"Yeah, three of them!" Isabel said sarcastically.
"Oh come on," Michael said. "You can't tell neither of you has one definite suspect in mind!" In his exasperation, Michael stopped on the trail.
"Michael!" Maria exclaimed through her gag as she fell to the ground, bringing Tess down with her. On Michael other side, Isabel also stumbled and fell, unable to catch herself with her 'broken' arm.
"Ow," Tess said. "I think I hurt something." She shook out her right arm, which had been twisted beneath her when she feel."
"Me, too!" Isabel groaned. "Why, oh why, do I keep wearing heels to these challenges?" she rubbed her left ankle.
Michael put his head in his hands. "I am an idiot!" Maria rubbed his back comfortingly. "Sorry, guys."
"It's okay," Isabel said. "I think I'll be able to walk." She winced as she put weight on her ankle.
"You're not going to help carry me," Michael said.
"I can do it," Isabel insisted.
"No, you can't."
"If you're hurt, I might be able to help," Tess offered. "Michael could lean on me if you stay on my other side and give me instructions."
"Okay," Isabel agreed.
Within minutes the group had rearranged themselves into their new order and were on their way,. However, they had lost valuable time and hadn't even spotted the hotel when Anderson appeared on the trail in front of them.
Isabel groaned. "This means we lost, doesn't it?"
Anderson nodded. "Sorry guys. This was a tough one. And I'm afraid I have more bad news. Maria, you spoke, breaking one of the rules of the game. That'll cost the pot five thousand dollars."
"What?" Maria cried, tearing off her gag. "That was his fault!" She pointed at Michael.
Anderson spread out his hands in mute apology. "I don't make the rules, Maria."
Maria pouted. "I make one little mistake and lose five thousand dollars. Do you know how hard it was not to talk?"
Anderson smiled. "You'll have a chance to make up for it in the next challenge. Meet in the hotel lobby at noon. Tess, Isabel, why don't you come with me and have the doctors look at your injuries? Maria, Michael, you're free to go to your rooms."
Maria continued pouting as Tess and a limping Isabel walked off with Anderson. "Look what you did," she accused Michael. "Hurting Tess and Isabel, losing the pot five thousand dollars. Mole!"
"What?" Michael asked. "Don't you think you'd know if I were the mole?"
"No! When have I ever known something you didn't want me to?" She folded her arms and stared at him.
"Good point," Michael mused. "I guess I would make a great mole." He grinned at Maria.
Maria suddenly laughed. "Okay, I give up. I'll be my cheerful self again."
"Good. I like you much better that way." Michael put his arm around Maria's shoulders. "Come on. Let's check out our rooms. See if they're any different from the carbon copies we've been staying in."
******
Michael and Maria were in the back on the hotel, playing Ping Pong when they were joined by Tess and Isabel.
"Isabel! You're on crutches!" Maria exclaimed. "Are you okay?"
Isabel sat down on a nearby bench. "Yeah. The doctor said it was just a sprain. I have to stay off my feet for a while, though."
"That sucks. What about you, Tess?"
Tess shrugged. "The doctor claims it's only a bruise." She made a face. "Too bad it doesn't *feel* like "only" a bruise."
"Will you guys be okay for the next challenge?" Michael asked.
Isabel shrugged. "We should be. Anderson promised to go easy on us."
"That's good," Maria said. "We don't need to lose any more money! Do you guys want to play?" she held out her Ping Pong racket to Tess and Isabel.
"No thanks," Tess answered. "I don't care what the doctor says, my arm *hurts*!" She took a seat beside Isabel.
"And it's kinda hard to play on crutches," Isabel put in. "Sorry."
"That's okay. You can cheer me on!"
The contestants passed the rest of the ay in a lazy fashion and went to bed early in order to be bright and well-rested for the next day's challenge.
******
It was noon and the Roswellians had gathered in the hotel lobby.
"Are you ready?" Anderson asked, rubbing his hands together.
"If we say no, can we skip the challenge and just get the money?" Maria asked hopefully.
"Oh trust me, you'll like this one. I've divided you into pairs. Michael and Maria, you're together because I like to see you argue, so that puts Isabel and Tess together."
"Great," Michael said. "Now if you could just tell us what the challenge is?"
"I'm getting there." Anderson pulled out more blindfolds.
Tess groaned. "More blindfolds! I quit!"
Anderson shrugged. "Tess, you're blind again. So is Michael." He handed them the blindfolds.
"So far I like this game." Maria grinned as she tied Michael's blindfold on.
"I don't!" Tess grumbled.
Anderson grinned. "Sorry, Tess, but Isabel's already on crutches. It wouldn't be fair to blind her as well!"
"Now what do we do?" Michael asked.
"Simple," Anderson said. "For twenty thousand dollars, Michael and Tess each have to produce an edible batch of cookies within one hour."
"Blindfolded?" Michael asked.
"Of course! Maria will guide you, Michael, and Isabel will be in charge of Tess. You can't touch your partners, but you can talk to them."
"Good," Maria said. "The last challenge was awful!"
"Is everyone ready?" Anderson asked. "Good! Then it's on to the kitchen! Maria, Isabel. Your first task is to guide your partners to the kitchen. Remember, you can't touch them!"
Anderson led the way to the kitchen, where all sorts of ingredients were laid out on the counter. "Did everyone make it?" Anderson asked.
"Yes, but I think Maria ran me into at least ten different objects!" Michael complained.
"Sorry, but it's your own fault for not obeying my instructions."
"Calm down, you two," Isabel broke in, as she attempted to balance on her crutches. "Let's start this challenge!"
Anderson began talking again. "As you can see, all the necessary ingredients, as well as two copies of the recipe are on the counter. Isabel and Maria, remember that you can't touch your partners, the ingredients or any of the supplies, except for the eggs. Your only assistance is verbal. Got it? Your time begins now."
"All right," Michael said. "Cookies. I've got this down." He began walking forward, his hands held out in front of him. "Where's the counter? Ow!"
"Right there," Maria informed him, a small grin on her face.
"You couldn't have told me that five seconds ago?"
"You couldn't have waited for me to tell you?" Maria shot back. "Now are you ready to listen? Your bowl on the counter, about two feet away from you. No! Two feet the *other* way."
Not far from Michael and Maria, Isabel was patiently guiding Tess. "Alright," Isabel said, from her perch on a nearby chair. "The first thing you have to do is cream the shortening, sugars, eggs, and vanilla together. Cream? I don't get it."
"Mix it together," Tess explained. "Don't you know how to cook?"
"I can make soup," Isabel replied. "Usually."
"I won't ask." Tess reached out towards the counter. "Where are the measuring cups?"
"A little to your right. Yeah, there." Isabel's words were interrupted by a large crash.
Tess jumped. "What was that?"
"Michael dropped his bowl," Maria answered. "You'll have to get it yourself, Michael. I can't touch it, remember?"
"I know, I know," Michael grumbled, stooping down to the floor. "A little help here?"
"It's right in front of you. Good. Now, let's get started." Maria scanned the list of ingredients. "We need half a cup shortening. Oh, wait! We need to preheat the oven first!"
"What?" Isabel asked. "Where does it say that?" She looked at her own recipe.
"It doesn't," Maria explained. "You just have to know."
"You just have to know?" Isabel asked incredulously. "*How* can you just know?"
"*Everyone* knows that," Michael said. "Come on, Isabel. You're a girl. You should know how to cook."
Maria sighed. "Michael. Do I even need to point out how blatantly sexist that was?" Before Michael could respond, Maria went on. "Never mind. Let's get that oven preheated."
On the other side of the counter, Tess managed to scrape the shortening out of the cup into the bowl. "What's next?"
"One-half cup granulated sugar." Isabel scanned the countertop. "I don't think we have that kind."
Maria tried to hide a smile. "White sugar, Isabel, white sugar. I hate to agree with Michael, but shouldn't you know this?"
"What?" Isabel asked defensively. "I'm the princess. I've never had to cook. I'm the normal one with two parents, remember? You're all the ones with abnormal family lives who have to pitch in with the cooking."
"Never thought having no parents would come in handy," Michael said, as he dumped his own granulated sugar into his bowl.
"We'll have to sign you up for home ec when we get home." Maria grinned at Isabel.
A couple of minutes later and Maria and Michael had begun beating their ingredients together.
"Keep the beaters in the bowl!" Maria squealed. "You're splattering me with cookie dough! Yum." She added, as she scraped some cookie batter from her cheek.
"Ew!" Isabel exclaimed. "That's gross, Maria. There are raw eggs in that!"
"Now, I know you've never baked. Taste-testing is the most important part of the cookie making process!"
"Did I get egg shells in here, Isabel?" Tess asked.
Isabel peered into the bowl. "No, I think you're okay. Now we need one t of vanilla. What's a t?"
"That depends," Tess answered. "Is it a big t or a little t?"
"A little t."
"That's a teaspoon. Big t's are tablespoons."
"This cooking thing is complicated. Once you have the vanilla in, we can start 'creaming' the ingredients. See! I know cooking terminology!"
"Yeah, but we're still beating you." Michael pointed out. "We're already on the dry ingredients."
"As long as we're done in an hour, it doesn't matter who finishes first," Tess said, as she turned on her beaters.
"I think I've stirred enough," Michael said a couple of minutes later. "What do you think?"
Maria peered into the bowl of dry ingredients. "Looks good. Now we can blend it all together."
"We're catching up to you!" Tess exclaimed, as she started stirring her own dry ingredients.
"Okay, Michael," Maria said a little later. "We're ready for the most important ingredients: the chocolate chips!"
With Maria's instructions, Michael was able to locate the chocolate chips. He immediately put a handful in his mouth.
"Michael!" Maria scolded. "No eating the ingredients!"
Michael rolled his eyes, but followed Maria's command. He stirred the chocolate chips into the batter. Within minutes, he was dropping cookie dough onto baking sheets.
"This is the hardest part," Michael remarked, as he attempted to put some dough on his spoon.
"No kidding," Tess said, as she dropped a teaspoonful of dough onto the counter.
Nevertheless, the Roswellians produced two edible batches of cookies with ten minutes to spare.
"Yum!" was Anderson's only comment as he sampled his first cookie. Five cookies later, he stopped eating long enough to speak again. "You definitely passed this challenge. Twenty thousand dollars go into the pot. You're now up to $383,000. Next execution is tomorrow night. See you then." Anderson walked off, his hands full of cookies.
******
"It's me," Michael insisted, as he and Maria walked to the execution. "I'm the only guy left. It's obvious."
"Unless you're the mole," Maria pointed out. "After all, a male mole would want to surround himself with females, wouldn't he?"
"I thought you didn't suspect me!"
"I didn't say that. I just said I wouldn't *want* to suspect you."
Michael shook his head. "Thanks. I think. Besides, the mole doesn't pick who goes off. You have to screw it up for yourself."
"That's a nice way of putting it," Maria said sarcastically. "I'm going to feel so much better about myself when I get executed in five minutes!"
In the end, however, it was Tess who left.
Tess sighed as the red fingerprint appeared above her name. "Well, I did say I never expected to get this far, didn't I?"
"I'll miss you," Maria said, as she hugged Tess. "Really."
"Me, too," Isabel chimed in, as attempted to hug Tess without dropping her crutches. "Maria and I are losing our best shopping partner."
Michael, too, gave Tess a departing hug. "See you soon."
With one last wave, Tess left the room, leaving the remaining three contestants alone. Within days, one would be at least $383,000 richer, one would be revealed as the mole, and one would go home empty-handed.